Michael Ndapamapedu Hishikushitja (22 November 1953 – 27 September 2001) was a Namibian parliamentarian. Hishikushitja was born and grew up in Onamunama, close to the Angolan border in the

Ohangwena Region Ohangwena is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Eenhana. Major settlements in the region are the towns Eenhana and Helao Nafidi aa well as the self-governed village of Okongo. , Ohangwena had 150,724 registered voters. Ohang ...

of Namibia. In the 1970s he attended school at St Mary Mission School in

Odibo Odibo is a village in the north of Namibia close to the Angolan border known for its Anglican mission ''St Mary''. It belongs to the Oshikango electoral constituency in the Ohangwena Region. Odibo is also an Archdeaconry in the Diocese of Nam ...

, where he later also worked as teacher until it was closed in 1979. He spied for the

People's Liberation Army of Namibia The People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) was the military wing of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). It fought against the South African Defence Force (SADF) and South West African Territorial Force (SWATF) during the Sou ...

, the armed wing of SWAPO, and assisted people wanting to cross the border to Angola. In 1979 he took up a position as an English teacher in

Engela Engela is an Ovambo people, Ovambo settlement in the Ohangwena Region in northern Namibia. Formerly situated in the Oukwanyama area it is since 2004 part of the town Helao Nafidi, although it still maintained its own village council until the Nami ...

for the

Council of Churches in Namibia The Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) is an ecumenical organisation in Namibia. Its member churches together represent 1.5 million people, 90% of the population of Namibia. It is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Afr ...

. When his political involvement became known to the South African administration, he was forced to move to

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 202 ...

. The

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

sent him into British exile where he completed a master's degree in education. After Namibian independence Michael Hishikushitja was elected Regional Councillor of the

Oshikango Constituency Oshikango is a constituency in the town of Helao Nafidi in the Ohangwena Region of northern Namibia, on the border to Angola. It had 27,599 inhabitants in 2004 and 17,480 registered voters . It is named after the settlement of Oshikango, today par ...

, a position he held until he died. When the

National Council of Namibia The National Council is the upper chamber of Namibia's bicameral Parliament. It reviews bills passed by the lower chamber and makes recommendations for legislation of regional concern to the lower chamber. The 42 National Council members are i ...

was formed in 1993, he was one of the Regional Councillors to be elected to serve. He was vice chairperson of the first National Council, and SWAPO Chief Whip of the second. He also was a member of the

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. In 1989 the patron of the CPA was the Head ...

, and the chairperson of the Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs. Hishikushitja was married with two daughters. He died from a heart attack shortly before his 48th birthday.

Sam Nujoma Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma, (; born 12 May 1929) is a Namibian revolutionary, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served three terms as the first President of Namibia, from 1990 to 2005. Nujoma was a founding member and the first ...

, then President of the Republic of Namibia, spoke at his funeral, calling him "one of amibia'smost active and effective young Parliamentarians."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hishikushitja, Michael 1953 births 2001 deaths People from Ohangwena Region Namibian educators People's Liberation Army of Namibia personnel South West African anti-apartheid activists Namibian Christians SWAPO politicians Namibian expatriates in the United Kingdom Members of the National Council (Namibia)