Job Shipululo Amupanda
Amupanda is a young social activist and a senior lecturer at the University of Namibia. He is the co-founder and leader of the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement. The movement mobilised thousands of young people, who turned up at the City of Windhoek’s head office in Windhoek and submitted over 14 000 land application forms.
Norman Tjombe
An outspoken lawyer who advocates for human rights litigation in Namibia. He set up his own law firm, Tjombe-Elago Incorporated, after 12 years at the Legal Assistance Centre. His law firm offers legal services ranging from rendering general advice, forensic commercial services, civil and criminal litigation, administrative law to constitutional law services.
Luis Munana
Munana is one of the creative personalities highlighted on the 2019 Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list, which made him the second Namibian to make it on the prestigious South Africa-based entrepreneurship magazine. Munana is also the founder of Namibia’s first original animated cartoon and puppet show ‘Waka Waka Moo’, which is airing in the country and overseas.
Dr Helena Ndume
Dr Ndume is an ophthalmologist, who is known for her notable charitable work among people with eye-related illnesses in Namibia. To date, Dr Ndume has ensured that some 30 000 blind Namibians have received eye surgery and are fitted with intra-ocular lens implants free of charge. She was listed as one of BBC 100 Women in 2018.
Michelle McLean-Bailey
McLean-Bailey became the first Namibian to win the Miss Universe title and the first person from Africa since Margaret Gardiner of South Africa clinched the crown in 1978. McLean-Bailey was 19 years old when she was crowned Miss Universe in 1992.
Ananias Shikongo
The para-athlete is the golden boy of sports in the country and has an inspiring story to tell. Shikongo competed in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. He won three medals, placing third in both the T11 100m and 400m sprints and coming first in the T11 200m.
Selma Carlicia Kamanya
Kamanya turned heads when she won the Miss Namibia title in 2018. In 2019, Kamanya broke the shell by standing out strong and issuing a statement against the Miss Namibia beauty pageant’s organisers in which she exposed the behind-the-scenes dealings.
Knowledge Ipinge
Ipinge is a utility man involved in music promotion, sport and now holds the powerful political position as councillor for Walvis Bay Urban, opening doors for young people to compete for leadership positions.
Ricardo Mannetti
The former Brave Warriors coach guided Namibia to their first Cosafa Cup win in 2015. He also masterminded Namibia’s qualification to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Collin Benjamin
Benjamin is a retired football midfielder, who spent most of his professional career with Hamburger SV in Germany. He is now ploughing back into the local game and has initiated the Hospol soccer league.
Sven Thieme
Thieme is known for his business acumen and is the chairperson of the Ohlthaver & List Group, the largest private company in Namibia. He is considered as one of the most influential Namibians. Thieme was conferred the Most Distinguished Order of Namibia: First Class on Heroes’ Day 2014.
Knowledge Katti
The Walvis Bay-born Katti is popularly known for his flamboyant lifestyle and travelling habits. Although controversial at times, Katti is also a philanthropist in his own right and has impacted the lives of many.
Frank Fredericks
The legendary Fredericks won four Olympic silver medals, making him Namibia’s only able-bodied medallist at the world’s biggest athletics event. He also won gold medals at the World Championships, World Indoor Championships, All-Africa Games and Commonwealth Games. He is the world indoor record-holder for 200 metres, with a time of 19.92 seconds set in 1996.
Peter Shalulile
The shy Shalulile plays as a striker for the Namibian national football team and South African premiership outfit Highlands Park FC. He was part of the squad that won the Cosafa Cup in 2015. This year, he is vying for the golden boot award after netting a personal best of 12 goals in South Africa’s top-flight soccer league.
Monica Geingos
Geingos is an entrepreneur of note and Namibia’s First Lady. Her wealth is estimated to be over N$42 million as at 2015 when she made her nett worth public. Her charity organisation, One Economy Foundation, is involved in several initiatives, including supporting young entrepreneurs, learners through scholarships as well as supporting victims of gender-based violence.
Lazarus Shiimi
Shiimi, popularly known as Gazza, in 2019 celebrated reaching one million views on YouTube for his hit song ‘Chelete’. He is giving the youth a chance to get training in Dubai courtesy of the Streit Group. He remains one of Namibia’s most sought-after artists.
McHenry Venaani
The young politician leads Namibia’s main opposition, the Popular Democratic Movement. Venaani has been a member of the National Assembly since 2002. He has since matured into a fine politician considering he helped his party increase its parliamentary seats from five in 2015 to 16 in 2020.
Bernadus Swartbooi
Swartbooi is a firebrand politician and leader of the Landless People’s Movement. The party was formed following his resignation from Swapo and won four seats in its maiden election last year.
Dr Panduleni Itula
Itula made history by becoming the first independent candidate to contest for the presidency. He also did it in style after securing nearly 30% of the total vote. Dr Itula has redefined the role of an independent candidate in the country and has inspired more youth to vie for positions independently.
Dillish Mathews
The 2013 Big Brother Africa winner is a jack-of-all-trades and one of the most stylish female celebrities on the continent. She became the brand ambassador for the NBC Plus mobile app in April 2018.
Robyn Nakaambo
Nakaambo is a public relations officer, an MC, businesswoman and TV host. She is also a known socialite, who turns heads with her social life. In 2019, she opened her own boutique.
Roux-ché Locke
Locke is the face of one of Namibia’s biggest company, the Ohlthaver & List Group. She is an experienced public speaker, MC and remains a sought-after media personality for both radio and television.
Ebba Kalondo
Kalondo is the spokesperson in the chairperson’s office of the African Union Commission. Prior to that, she held several senior positions in strategic and risk communications at the World Health Organisation. She has worked in international news and in development with a strong focus on security and the humanitarian industry.
Quinton van Rooyen Snr
Van Rooyen Snr founded Trustco Group Holdings Ltd, a company that he started from humble beginnings. He is also listed as the 36th richest person in South Africa, according to a list compiled by the Sunday Times of South Africa.
Dr Jakob ‘Japie’ van Zyl
The Outjo-born Van Zyl is a space engineer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the USA. He led an insight mission to Mars in November in 2018. The mission was a first, which successfully landed the robotic InSight Mars lander on planet Mars, using the Mars helicopter.
Helalia Johannes
Johannes is a long-distance runner who holds several Namibian records. She represented the country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2012 London Olympics and 2018 Commonwealth Games and has won medals at the Military World Games, the All-Africa Games and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, among others.
Hage Geingob
Geingob is the third and current president of Namibia, in office since 21 March 2015. He is also the current president of the ruling Swapo Party since his election to the position in November 2017. The head of state remains an influential figure.
Tim Ekandjo
Ekandjo is the face of telecommunications giant, MTC. Ekandjo has been accorded the 100 Global HR Heroes Award, the HR Africa HR Leadership Award by the World Human Resources Conference and Congress respectively, along with the HR Leader and Achievers Award by the Indian African HR Partnership Summit.
Edith Mbanga
Mbanga is a national facilitator at the Shack Dwellers Federation that builds houses for the poor. The federation has managed to get 4 700 people into formal houses countrywide. She and her colleagues are on an inspirational mission to have all local authorities upgrade informal settlements and involve communities in the planning of and developing informal settlements.
Calle Schlettwein
The finance minister is central to Namibia’s economic trajectory and is holding the future of the country in his hands. It will be interesting to see if he is retained as head of treasury. ◆