The history of Namibia has passed through several distinct stages from being colonised in the late nineteenth century to Namibia's independence on 21 March 1990.
The South West Africa People's Organisation,officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia,is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia. Founded in 1960,it has been the governing party in Namibia since the country achieved independence in 1990. The party continues to be dominated in number and influence by the Ovambo ethnic group.
Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma,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 president of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) in 1960. Prior to 1960,SWAPO was known as the Ovambo People's Organisation (OPO). He played an important role as leader of the national liberation movement in campaigning for Namibia's political independence from South African rule. He established the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) in 1962 and launched a guerrilla war against the apartheid government of South Africa in August 1966 at Omungulugwombashe,beginning after the United Nations withdrew the mandate for South Africa to govern the territory. Nujoma led SWAPO during the lengthy Namibian War of Independence,which lasted from 1966 to 1989.
Theo-Ben Gurirab was a Namibian politician who served in various senior government positions. He served as the second Prime Minister of Namibia from 28 August 2002 to 20 March 2005,following the demotion and subsequent resignation of Hage Geingob. Previously he was the country's first Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1990 to 2002,and was President of the United Nations General Assembly from 1999 to 2000. He was Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia from 2005 to 2015,when he was replaced by Peter Katjavivi. Gurirab ultimately resigned from politics in 2015.
Hidipo Livius Hamutenya 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 2004,serving in several important ministerial portfolios. He was defeated in a bid for the party's presidential nomination in 2004 and left SWAPO to form an opposition group,the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP),in 2007. He was elected to the National Assembly of Namibia with RDP in the 2009 general election. He was forced to step down as RDP president on 28 February 2015 and rejoined SWAPO on 28 August 2015.
Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba is a Namibian politician who served as the second president of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 21 March 2015. He won the 2004 presidential election overwhelmingly as the candidate of SWAPO,and was reelected in 2009. Pohamba was the president of SWAPO from 2007 until his retirement in 2015. He is a recipient of the Ibrahim Prize.
Nahas Gideon Angula is a Namibian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 4 December 2012. He was succeeded by Hage Geingob in a cabinet reshuffle after the 2012 SWAPO Party congress. He subsequently served as Minister of Defence from 2012 to 2015.
Marco Mukoso Hausiku was a Namibian politician who was Deputy-Prime Minister of Namibia from 2010 to 2015.
Hage Gottfried Geingob was a Namibian politician who served as the third president of Namibia from 2015 until his death in February 2024. Geingob was the first Prime Minister of Namibia from 1990 to 2002,and served as prime minister again from 2012 to 2015. Between 2008 and 2012 Geingob served as Minister of Trade and Industry. He also served as president of the ruling SWAPO Party from 2017 until his death.
Herman Andimba Toivo ya Toivo was a Namibian anti-apartheid activist,politician and political prisoner. Ya Toivo was active in the pre-independence movement,and is one of the co-founders of the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) in 1960,and before that,its predecessor the Ovamboland People's Organization (OPO) in 1959.
Jerry Lukiiko Ekandjo is a Namibian politician,former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner. He is one of the founding members of the SWAPO Youth League and has been one of the most active internal leading members of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) during the liberation struggle. He spent eight years in prison on Robben Island after being charged for inciting violence in 1973.
Ngarikutuke Ernest Tjiriange was a Namibian politician,a member of the National Assembly and former secretary-general of the ruling SWAPO Party. He also served in the Namibian cabinet from 1990 to 2010,first as Minister of Justice,then without portfolio,and then as Minister of Veteran Affairs.
Pendukeni "Penny" Iivula-Ithana is a Namibian politician who served as the secretary general of SWAPO,Namibia's ruling party,from 2007 to 2012. She was a member of the Constituent Assembly of Namibia in 1989 and has been a member of Parliament and member of cabinet since independence in 1990.
Nangolo Mbumba is a Namibian politician who is the fourth and current president of Namibia. He became president after the death in office of Hage Geingob,under whom he had served as the second Vice-president of Namibia from 2018 to 2024.
Major General Charles Dickson Ndaxu Phillip Namoloh is a Namibian diplomat,politician and military figure who served in the cabinet of Namibia as Minister of Safety and Security from March 2015 to March 2020. Namoloh has been a member of the National Assembly of Namibia since 2005;having served as Minister of Defence from 2005 to 2012 and Minister of Regional and Local Government,Housing and Rural Development from 2012 to 2015.
Erkki Nghimtina is a Namibian politician and former military officer in the Namibia Defence Force (NDF). A member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO),Nghimtina served as member of the National Assembly of Namibia from 1995 to 2020. He served in various cabinet roles from 2005 to 2020.
Bernhardt Martin Esau is a Namibian politician. A member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO),Esau has been a member of the National Assembly since being nominated by President Sam Nujoma and subsequently elected in the 1994 Namibian general election.
Peter Mweshihange was a Namibian revolutionary and guerrilla leader,and after Namibian independence,a politician and diplomat. He was the Namibia's first Minister of Defence from 1990 to 1995,and first ambassador to the People's Republic of China from 1996 until his death.
The Cabinet of Namibia is an appointed body that was established by Chapter 6 of the Constitution of Namibia. It is mandated to include the following positions:the President of Namibia,the Prime Minister of Namibia and any positions that the President so appoints.
Moses Mague ǁGaroëb was a Namibian politician,founding member of SWAPO,and member of SWAPO's Politburo and Central Committee. During his political career,ǁGaroëb served in the Constituent Assembly of Namibia and was a Member of Parliament from the day of Namibian independence,21 March 1990. He was appointed Minister of Labour and Human Resources in 1995,a position he held until his death.
