While many graduates may aspire to work in the private sector, earning huge salaries, for Ivonne Mujoro-Kaukuetu, joining the civil service was a dream come true.
Mujoro-Kaukuetu completed secondary school at the dawn of the country’s independence from apartheid South Africa.
It is, thus, no surprise that in her current role as the technical advisor to the Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, she is primarily a staunch campaigner for social justice and fairness.
“I am a stern advocate for social justice and the sustainable utilisation of our natural resources for the benefit of all Namibians,” Mujoro-Kaukuetu told New Era this week.
She was born in Windhoek and grew up in a village called Erinidirozombaka in the Otjombinde Constituency of Omaheke region.
Mujoro-Kaukuetu holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management from the Australian National University, and a Master of Science degree in Biodiversity Research.
Admittedly, it is by virtue of the scholarship she received from the government that she joined the civil service, a decision she does not regret.
Joining
“I joined the public service in 1996, upon the completion of a Certificate in Forestry from Ogongo Agriculture College. I worked for a year in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, upon which I was awarded an Australian Scholarship/Fellowship. I, therefore, left Namibia in 1997 to pursue further studies at the Australian National University. I re-joined the same ministry from 2000 until 2011. I then joined the University of Namibia as a lecturer in the department of biological sciences. Due to my passion for social development issues, I left Unam in 2015 to join the newly created Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare in an advisory capacity,” she revealed.
She added while her initial desire was to major in accounting, she seized the opportunity when Founding President Sam Nujoma urged young Namibians to pursue scientific fields.
“Indeed, as a young Namibian, when the country attained her independence, my only dream was to work for my government. For us, who completed high school just before independence, working for the public service was an accomplishment and honour,” Mujoro-Kaukuetu stressed.
There have been numerous debates in the public space about the role of ministerial advisors, where many have lessened their duties to that of ceremonial employees with no clear-cut job descriptions.
Mujoro-Kaukuetu will have none of that, as she elaborates on the importance of her advisory role in the ministry.
“My key responsibility is to offer technical support to the office of the minister. As you might be aware, this is a big ministry with an elaborate mandate; therefore, my responsibilities are to study, analyse, coordinate and monitor the programmes of the different directorates and divisions of the ministry to ensure that at the end of the day, the ministry attains its mandate, which is to ensure gender equality, poverty eradication and socio-economic development of our people,” she says.
But with the mandate of being cross-cutting and requiring strong collaboration and coordination of activities, the effective coordination of various programmes of the ministry, such as gender mainstreaming, poverty eradication and the overall social welfare of the most vulnerable of the Namibian society, becomes challenging.
“More often, you find that people are used to working in silos; therefore, if one’s mandate is cross-cutting – needing a multi-sectoral approach – effective coordination and monitoring can be quite challenging,” Mujoro-Kaukuetu stressed.
She, however, described as satisfying, “The successful and effective implementation of programmes of the ministry, aimed at empowering and improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable members of our society, such as the poor, the needy, persons with disabilities, marginalised communities, women and children”.
Queried on how her experience and expertise are beneficiations to her employers, Mujoro-Kaukuetu maintained that the vast experience and expertise of working with an array of stakeholders – ranging from communities at the grass-root levels, to various governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as institutes of higher learning – are beneficial to the coordination mandate of the ministry.
“I should also mention that having spent five years under the helm of bishop emeritus Zephania Kameeta, the former minister of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, has prepared me well to deal with issues that can uplift and improve the living standards of our people, ‘’ she added.
She listed being part of the pioneers of the world-renowned community-based natural resources management programme of the Namibian government as well as the development of Namibia’s first Biodiversity Action Plan, and the development and implementation of Namibia’s first blueprint on poverty eradication and wealth redistribution in addition to the development of Namibia’s first social protection policy – to mention but a few – as some of her major achievements.
Not going anywhere
Mujoro-Kaukuetu further rubbished the misconception that service delivery in the civil service leaves more to be desired.
“Indeed, a misconception, [but] what can you expect the judgment to be when your clientele is the entire Namibian population. Of course, your services, duties and resources are thinly spread; thus, one’s effectiveness could be easily misjudged. There is, indeed, room for improvement for us as civil servants. If we can all just be servants of the people and implement the good programmes of the government, we can indeed attain the country’s common goal of prosperity for all,” she said.
Unlike many who believe the grass is always greener in the private sector, Mujoro-Kaukuetu is determined to stay put and serve the Namibian people “for as long as it is physically and mentally possible. Especially assisting the government in an advisory capacity”.
Said Mujoro-Kaukuetu: “I would like to continue offering technical support to my government, and to advance its goals, aspirations and programmes at regional and international platforms. Individually, I want to still impart knowledge and share my experience in the academic space of the country – even on a part-time basis. Finally, I want to see Namibia attain her goal of ensuring we become a prosperous nation, where every Namibian is accorded equal opportunities to better their living standards”.