Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba (born 18 August 1936) is a
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
n
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
who served as the second
president of Namibia
The president of the Republic of Namibia is the head of state and the head of government of Namibia. The president directs the executive branch of the Government of Namibia, as chair of the Cabinet and is the commander-in-chief of the armed fo ...
from 21 March 2005 to 21 March 2015. He won the
2004 presidential election overwhelmingly as the candidate of
SWAPO
The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...
, and was reelected in
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
. Pohamba was the president of SWAPO from 2007 until his retirement in 2015. He is a recipient of the
Ibrahim Prize
The Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership is an annual prize awarded to a former African executive head of state or government on criteria of good governance, democratic election and respect of terms limits. On eight of the fourteen ...
.
Prior to his presidency, Pohamba served in various ministerial positions, beginning at Namibia's independence in 1990. He was
Minister of Home Affairs
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
from 1990 to 1995,
Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources from 1995 to 1997,
Minister without portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...
from 1997 to 2000, and Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation from 2000 to 2005. He was also secretary-general of SWAPO from 1997 to 2002 and vice-president of SWAPO from 2002 to 2007.
Early life
Hifikepunye Pohamba was born on 18 August 1936 in
Okanghudi,
South West Africa
South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...
, in an area then known as
Ovamboland
Ovamboland, also referred to as Owamboland, was a Bantustan in South West Africa (present-day Namibia), intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the Ovambo people.
The term originally referred to the parts of ...
(today 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.
Ohangw ...
of Namibia). He completed his primary school education in the
Anglican
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 th ...
Holy Cross Mission school in
Onamunhama
Onamunhama (IPA: []) is a village in the Ohangwena Region in the north of Namibia in the Oukwanyama tribal area. It is the location of the former Anglican church, Anglican Mission (station), mission station of Holy Cross. The mission station was f ...
, and in 1956 took up work at the
Tsumeb
, nickname =
, settlement_type = City
, motto = ''Glück Auf'' (German language, German for ''Good luck'')
, image_skyline = Welcome to tsumeb.jpg
, imagesize =
, image_caption ...
mine.
Political career
Under South African occupation
Pohamba was active in the
Ovamboland People's Organization
The Ovamboland People's Organization (OPO) was a nationalist organization that existed between 1959 and 1960 in South West Africa (now present day Namibia). The aim of the organization was to end the South African colonial administration, and the ...
. When this national liberation movement transformed into
SWAPO
The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...
in 1960, Pohamba was a founding member of the organisation's new incarnation and left his job in the mine to work as a full-time organiser for the group.
["Profile: Hifikepunye Pohamba"]
BBC News, 22 November 2004.
In 1961 Pohamba went into exile. He travelled to Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...
to the newly-independent Tanganyika
Tanganyika may refer to:
Places
* Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state
* Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania
* Tanzania Main ...
(today part of Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
) where he met 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 ...
, later Namibia's first president, for the first time. It was resolved that he should join a group of SWAPO members returning home and mobilising people there. On his way he was arrested in Rhodesia
Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...
(today Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
) and was jailed in Bulawayo
Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council cl ...
, then deported to Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
. He spent six months in jail there and was then put under house arrest in Ovamboland.[
In 1964 Pohamba again left Namibia. He went to ]Lusaka
Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...
to set up SWAPO's Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
n office. He returned to Namibia in 1966 with Sam Nujoma, claiming that SWAPO leaders were not banned from travelling. They were nevertheless deported to Zambia a day after their arrival. Pohamba moved to Dar es Salaam again.[Curriculum Vitae for Pohamba]
, Namibian government website.
In 1971 SWAPO transferred Pohamba to Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
; He became the movement's chief representative for northern Africa. In 1979 he became the party's chief of operations in Lusaka. From 1981 to 1982 he studied politics in the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, and upon his return to Africa he moved to Luanda
Luanda () is the capital and largest city in Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Angola's administrative centre, its chief seaport ...
, Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
, where SWAPO's headquarters was at that time.[
]
After independence of Namibia
Pohamba headed SWAPO's 1989 election campaign[ and was a SWAPO member of the ]Constituent Assembly
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
, which was in place from November 1989 to March 1990, before becoming a member of the National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
at independence in March 1990.[ He was ]Minister of Home Affairs
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
from March 1990 to 1995, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources from 1995 to 1997,[ and ]Minister without portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...
from 1997 to March 2000.[ He was elected as secretary-general of SWAPO in 1997 and as its vice-president in 2002.][ On 26 January 2000, he was appointed as Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation in addition to his above ministerial position, in which position he remained until becoming president in 2005.
Under Pohamba's leadership as Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation, Namibia initiated a policy of partial land expropriation from landed white farmers to landless black ones. This policy was introduced to supplement the existing one of "willing buyer-willing seller" to try speed up the process.
After becoming president, Pohamba also took over the chancellorship of the ]University of Namibia
The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, as well as the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992.
Background
UNAM comprises the follow ...
from Nujoma in November 2011.
Presidency
Pohamba was selected as SWAPO's candidate for the 2004 presidential election at an extraordinary party congress held in May 2004. He received 213 votes out of 526 in the first round of voting; in the second round, held on 30 May, he won with 341 votes against 167 for Hidipo Hamutenya
Hidipo Livius Hamutenya (17 June 1939 – 6 October 2016) was a Namibian politician. A long time leading member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Hamutenya was a member of the Cabinet of Namibia from independence in 1990 to ...
, having received the support of nearly all of those who had backed third place candidate in the first round. In the presidential election, held on 15/16 November 2004, Pohamba won with 76.44% of the vote, in what has been described as a "landslide", but also denounced as flawed by the opposition. He was backed by Nujoma, who was then serving his third five-year term; Pohamba has been described as Nujoma's hand-picked successor. Pohamba took office as president on 21 March 2005 and has since distinguished himself by careful but decisive moves against corruption.
Although there was speculation that Nujoma would seek re-election as SWAPO President in 2007 and then run for President of Namibia again in 2009, he denied these rumours in early October 2007, saying that he intended to step down as party leader in favour of Pohamba. On 29 November 2007, Pohamba was elected as SWAPO President at a party congress; he was the only candidate to be nominated and no voting was deemed necessary. Nujoma said that he was "passing the torch and mantle of leadership to comrade Pohamba". The congress also chose Pohamba as the party's only candidate for the 2009 presidential election.
Pohamba won a second term in the November 2009 presidential election, receiving 611,241 total votes (76.42%). The second place candidate, Hidipo Hamutenya (who had left SWAPO and gone into opposition), received 88,640 (11.08%).
Pohamba was unable to stand for re-election in 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
due to constitutional term limits. The election was again won overwhelmingly by SWAPO, and Pohamba was succeeded by Hage Geingob
Hage Gottfried Geingob (born 3 August 1941) is a Namibian politician, serving as the third president of Namibia since 21 March 2015. Geingob was the first Prime Minister of Namibia from 1990 to 2002, and served as prime minister again from 2012 ...
on 21 March 2015. Less than a month later, on 19 April 2015, he retired as president of SWAPO.
He ended his term with high approval ratings, being hailed for pushing for gender equality and increased spending on housing and education.
Private life
Pohamba is married to Penehupifo since 1983. The couple owns farm Guinaspoh #41 near Otavi
Otavi is a town of 4,000 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region of central Namibia. Situated 360 km north of Windhoek, it is the district capital of the Otavi electoral constituency.
Geography
The towns of Otavi, Tsumeb (to the north) and Gro ...
.
Honours
Foreign honours
*:
**
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Pioneers of Liberia
The Order of the Pioneers of Liberia or more formally Grand Order of the Most Venerable Order of the Knighthood of the Pioneers of the Republic of Liberia is an order (honour), order presented by the government of Liberia. The order may be presen ...
(29 July 2009)
Awards
*Pohamba is a recipient of the Omugulugwombashe Medal for Bravery and Long Service.
*In 2011, he was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy ''honoris causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
'' by the University of Namibia
The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, as well as the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992.
Background
UNAM comprises the follow ...
.
*In 2015, he was awarded the 2014 Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership
The Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership is an annual prize awarded to a former African executive head of state or government on criteria of good governance, democratic election and respect of terms limits. On eight of the fourteen ...
of $5 million by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation was established in 2006.
It was founded by Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese billionaire businessman and philanthropist, who founded the telecommunications company Celtel International in 1998.
Ibrahim is the chairman. Other board ...
.
*On 29 April 2016, he was awarded a Doctorate ''honoris causa'' by the University for Development Studies
The University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana, Tamale was established in 1992 by the government of Ghana with a view to accelerating the development of the then 3 Northern Regions of Ghana (the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions ...
, Tamale, Ghana
Tamale (Dagbani : ), officially called Tamale Metropolitan Area is the capital city of the Northern Region of Ghana. Tamale is Ghana's third-largest city and an emerging investment hotspot in West Africa. It has a projected population of 950,1 ...
References
External links
Interview with Hifikepunye Pohamba by Tor Sellström within the project Nordic Documentation on the Liberation Struggle in Southern Africa
– dated 15 March 1995.
, -
, -
, -
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pohamba, Hifikepunye
1936 births
Living people
Members of the National Assembly (Namibia)
Namibian Anglicans
Ovambo people
People from Ohangwena Region
Peoples' Friendship University of Russia alumni
Presidents of Namibia
South West African anti-apartheid activists
SWAPO politicians
Namibian independence activists
Home affairs ministers of Namibia
Fisheries ministers of Namibia
Ministers without portfolio of Namibia
Land reform ministers of Namibia