By Mathias Haufiku
WINDHOEK – Prime Minister and President-elect, Dr Hage Geingob, has choosen the eight people he feels he will need in his administration when he succeeds the incumbent President Hifikepunye Pohamba on March 21, when he will be sworn in.
Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana
The presence of outspoken Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration on Geingob’s list of presidential appointees came as a surprise to no one and the fact that she tops the list of those chosen yesterday says a lot about how Geingob feels about the lady, known as the “Iron Lady” in Namibia’s political arena.
She has been a member of parliament since independence.
Iivula-Ithana is one of those who competed against Geingob during Swapo Party’s internal elections at its congress in 2012. Geingob eventually won that race.
According to a local publication “Guide to Namibian Politics”, Iivula-Ithana holds a Bachelor of Law Degree (LLB) from the University of Namibia (Unam), and a Diploma in Public Administration from the UN Institute of Namibia in Lusaka.
The 68-year-old is seen as a tough nut to crack and one of Namibia’s most prominent female politicians because of her role in the country’s liberation struggle and in spearheading Swapo’s Women’s Council in exile.
She was Namibia’s first attorney general. Iivula-Ithana held several ministerial positions, such as, deputy minister at the then Ministry of Wildlife, Conservation and Tourism; Minister of Youth and Sport; Minister of Lands and Rehabilitation; Minister of Justice and now Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration.
Jerry Ekandjo
Like Iivula-Ithana, Ekandjo challenged Geingob during the ruling party’s 2012 congress to take over the party’s reins. Geingob, it seems, has decided to put the messy 2012 fight behind him by selecting Ekandjo, as one of his appointees.
Ekandjo is well known in the country’s political circles, having been a member of parliament since independence serving under several portfolios such as Minister of Lands and Resettlement; Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration; Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development, as well as Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture.
The 68-year-old is also a former Robben Island prisoner after he was jailed for his involvement in the country’s liberation struggle.
Dr Albert Kawana
Kawana, 59, has been the country’s Minister of Presidential Affairs since 2005. According to the political publication, he holds a PhD from the University of Warwick and Diploma in Development Studies and Management from the UN Institute for Namibia in Lusaka.
His selection as one of the potential appointees has been coming from the day Kawana failed to make it onto the ruling party’s parliamentary list last year.
Many see one of the key factors for his inclusion as his active role and lobbying during the Constitutional Amendment debate.
One of the country’s few doctorate holders in the law field, Kawana’s expertise in the legal fraternity coupled with the experience he gained as the country’s Attorney General, will come in handy when it comes to polishing the country’s legal system.
Katrina Hanse-Himarwa
Very outspoken but loyal to her party, Hanse-Himarwa was one of the first female regional governors when she assumed office. She is currently the regional political head of the Hardap Region.
She has served as councillor on the Aranos village council. She is a teacher by profession.
Guide to Namibian Politics indicates that Hanse-Himarwa holds a Bachelor of Technology in Education Management and Technology from Pretoria Technikon and a teaching diploma from the Windhoek College of Education.
Zephania Kameeta
A pastor by profession, Dr Kameeta served as Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia from 2002 until his recent retirement.
He is a former deputy speaker of the National Assembly from independence to 2002 and held several positions in Swapo, including seats on its central committee.
The 70-year-old is touted as one of the few church leaders who played a pivotal role in the struggle for independence.
Kameeta holds a Doctorate in Theology.
Bernard Haufiku
Haufiku is a medical doctor, practising as a general practitioner in Windhoek. He is the founding chairperson of the Namibia Medical Society. He stepped down from the post in 2012.
He runs his own private practice and holds a (MBCHB), Internal Medicine from the Wits University in South Africa.
Obeth Kandjoze
Kandjoze is the incumbent managing director at the State-owned petroleum company, Namcor.
He studied at the University of Cape Town in South Africa as well as at the University of Helsinki (Finland) in the field of geosciences and graduated with a Bachelor of Science at UCT and a Master of Sciences (geology and chemistry) in Finland.
He worked for the Geological Survey of Namibia, as a field geologist. He has also had a stint, from 1995 to 1997, at the Australian Gold Exploration company based in Perth, Australia.
Kandjoze has extensive knowledge on aspects in the legal, commercial, engineering, geology, geophysics, financial and economic modelling fields.
Heather Sibungo
Heather Sibungo, 37, currently serves as an accountant at the Zambezi regional education office. She has administration experience having served as an administrator at Ngweze Senior Secondary School in the Zambezi Region from 1996 to 2013.
Sibungo is also a well-known figure around the Zambezi Region’s political circles where she has served as Swapo’s district secretary for Katima Urban.
She is also the party’s head of protocol in the region.
She holds a diploma in administration qualification as an executive office assistant from the Business Management Training College in South Africa, where she is also currently enrolled pursuing a Diploma in Administration.