Gaob Dr. Justus ǀUruhe ǁGaroëb (born 16 December 1942CV at Parliament website
) is the Gaob (King) of the ǂNūkhoe ǁAes (Damara Nation) as of 1977 ear of customary designationand is the longest serving supreme traditional leader in recorded history. Historical accounts (both oral and academic) have it that most gaogu (kings) reigned for 25 years (average), whilst the nation celebrated the Sapphire Anniversary of the ǁGaroëb dynasty. He (just like most if not all pre-independence traditional leaders was active in national politics and was at the forefront of the Namibian struggle for Indendence. Gaob Dr. ǁGaroëb was a staunch opponent of South African rule and led the oppositional

Namibia National Front The Namibia National Front (NNF) was an alliance of nationalist but moderate parties in Namibia. It was formed in 1977 as a merger of the Namibia National Convention (which had been marginalized after SWAPO's departure from it) and the Namibia N ...

in the late 1970s and founded the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1989. ǁGaroëb was born in ǃGuidiǁgams iterally Fountain of the Reed Dancersalias Omaruru,

Erongo Region Erongo is one of the 14 regions of Namibia. The capital is Swakopmund. It is named after Mount Erongo, a well-known landmark in Namibia and in this area. Erongo contains the municipalities of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Henties Bay and Omaruru, as w ...

. He went to school at the Augustineum Training College in

Okahandja Okahandja is a city of 24,100 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the ...

and then started to study medicine at the University College of Zululand in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. He did not finish his studies due to family obligations and lack of financial support. ǁGaroëb became a member of the Damara Advisory Council in 1971, and its chairman in 1977, succeeding Chief David ǁGoreseb. When between 1975 and 1977 the

Turnhalle Constitutional Conference The Turnhalle Constitutional Conference was a conference held in Windhoek between 1975 and 1977, tasked with the development of a constitution for a self-governed Namibia under South African control. Sponsored by the South African government, th ...

was held in Windhoek with the aim of developing a constitution for a self-governed Namibia under South African control, ǁGaroëb "refused to take part". Instead he oversaw the Damara Council to merge into the

(NNF), one of the groups opposing the Turnhalle Conference and its results, in 1977. He also became the first president of the NNF. In 1982, he became the Paramount Chief and Acting King of the Damara, and he has been King of the Damara since 1994. In 1989 ǁGaroëb founded the United Democratic Front (UDF). He has been the President of the UDF since that time. Immediately prior to independence, he was a UDF 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, and he has been 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 rep ...

since 1990. He has stood for the presidency on three occasions. In

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, he placed fourth with 3.02% of the vote, in 2004 he placed fifth with 3.83% of the vote, and in 2009 he placed 5th with 2.37%. In

Kunene Region Kunene is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia. Its capital is Opuwo, its governor is Marius Sheya. The region's name comes from the Kunene River which forms the northern border with Angola. Besides the capital Opuwo, the region contains the ...

, he received 22.5% of the vote, including winning the most the votes in

Khorixas Constituency Khorixas is a constituency in the Kunene Region of northwestern Namibia. Its district capital is the town of Khorixas, its population in 2004 was 10,906. , it has 8,788 registered voters. The name of this constituency comes from a derivation of ...

and

Sesfontein Constituency Sesfontein Constituency is an electoral constituency in the Kunene Region of Namibia. Its district capital is the settlement of Sesfontein. The constituency had a population of 7,358 in 2004. , it has 5,614 registered voters. Sesfontein Const ...

.Presidential election results - Sesfontein Constituency, 2004
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garoeb, Justus 1942 births Living people People from Omaruru Damara people Namibian chiefs United Democratic Front (Namibia) politicians Members of the National Assembly (Namibia) Augustineum Secondary School alumni Candidates for President of Namibia