Sam Nujoma

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His Excellency
Sam Nujoma
Nujoma in 2004
1st President of Namibia
In office
21 March 1990 – 21 March 2005
Prime MinisterHage Geingob (1990–2002)
Theo-Ben Gurirab (2002–2005)
Preceded byoffice established
Succeeded byHifikepunye Pohamba
President of SWAPO
In office
19 April 1960 – 29 November 2007
Preceded byoffice established
Succeeded byHifikepunye Pohamba
President of OPO
In office
19 April 1959 – 19 April 1960
Preceded byoffice established
Succeeded byoffice abolished
Personal details
Born
Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma

(1929-05-12) 12 May 1929 (age 94)
Ongandjera, Ovamboland, South West Africa (now Omusati Region, Namibia)
Political partySWAPO,
OPO
Spouse
​
(m. 1956)​
ChildrenUtoni Daniel (born 1952)
John Ndeshipanda (1955-1993)
Sakaria Nefungo (born 1957)
Nelago (1959–1961)
Alma materUniversity of Namibia
ReligionLutheran
Websitewww.samnujomafoundation.org

Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma,

Namibian War of Independence
, which lasted from 1966 to 1989.

During World War I, South Africa defeated the German colonial forces in South West Africa and established martial law in the colony after making a peace treaty in July 1915. After the war, the League of Nations officially assigned the former German colony to the United Kingdom as a mandate under the administration of South Africa. When the National Party won the 1948 election in South Africa, it passed laws establishing racial segregation known as apartheid. It applied these laws to South West Africa as well, which it governed as the de facto fifth province of South Africa.

Nujoma became involved in

anti-colonial politics during the 1950s. In 1959, he cofounded and served as the first president of the Ovamboland People's Organization (OPO), a nationalist organization advocating an independent Namibia. In December 1958 he was an organizer of the Old Location resistance and was arrested and deported to Ovamboland. In 1960 he escaped and went into exile in Tanzania where he was welcomed by Julius Nyerere
.

Namibia finally achieved independence from South Africa in 1990, holding its first democratic elections. SWAPO won a majority and Nujoma was elected as the country's first President on 21 March 1990. He was re-elected for two more terms in

1999
. Nujoma retired as SWAPO party president on 30 November 2007.

He published his autobiography Where Others Wavered in 2005. He has received multiple honors and awards for his leadership, including the Lenin Peace Prize, Indira Gandhi Peace Prize, and the Ho Chi Minh Peace Prize. The Parliament of Namibia honored him with the titles "Founding President of the Republic of Namibia" and "Father of the Namibian Nation". In 2007 SWAPO named him as "Leader of the Namibian Revolution."

Early life

Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma was born at Etunda, a village in Ongandjera, near the town of Okahao, Ovamboland, Southwest Africa on 12 May 1929.[2] Nujoma was born to Helvi Mpingana Kondombolo (1898–2008) and Daniel Uutoni Nujoma (1893–1968).[citation needed] His mother Helvi was an Uukwambi princess by virtue of descent, and this fact would later reinforce Nujoma's charismatic influence during his political career. He is the eldest of his parents' eleven children.

Nujoma spent much of his early childhood looking after his siblings and tending to the family's cattle and traditional farming activities.[

Shillings.[citation needed] He would later also work at a whaling station. While there he was exposed to world politics by meeting soldiers from Argentina, Norway and other parts of Europe who had come during World War II.[citation needed
]

In 1949, Nujoma moved to

St Barnabas Anglican Church School in the Windhoek Old Location, mainly with the aim of improving his English. He further studied for his Junior Certificate through correspondence at the Trans‐Africa Correspondence College in South Africa.[3]

Political career

Nujoma became involved in politics in the early 1950s through trade unions. Nujoma's political outlook was shaped by his work experiences, his awareness of the contract labour system, and his increasing knowledge of the independence campaigns across Africa. In 1957, at age 29, Nujoma resigned from SAR so he could devote more time to politics. In 1957, a group of Namibians working in

South West African National Union
(SWANU) was formed as an umbrella body for anti-colonial resistance groups. Nujoma joined its executive committee representing OPO.

Sam Nujoma pictured in 1979.

After the

Pan-African outlook. Kwame Nkrumah assisted Nujoma to travel to United States and later to Liberia, where a case on South West Africa was being presented to the International Court of Justice
.

After breaking away from

Mosé Tjitendero and Hifikepunye Pohamba.[citation needed
]

In 1962, SWAPO founded its armed wing, the

Namibian War of Independence
which would last more than 25 years. In 1969, Nujoma was re-affirmed as SWAPO President at the Tanga Consultative Conference in Tanzania.

In the late 1960s Nujoma continued his diplomatic rounds as SWAPO set up offices across Africa, Europe and the Americas. He represented SWAPO at the founding of the

Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 25 May 1963. In 1965, the OAU recognised SWAPO as the only lawful representative of the Namibian people.[4]

neocolonialist marionettes who would superficially change the visible colonial regime while the position of the majority of people would stay the same.[5] In the late 1970s Nujoma led the SWAPO negotiations team between the Western Contact Group (WCG), which consisted of West Germany, Britain, France, the US and Canada, and South Africa on the one hand, and the Frontline States and Nigeria on the other, about proposals that would eventually become United Nations Security Council Resolution 435, passed in September 1978. While agreement on Resolution 435, which embodied the plan for free and fair elections in Namibia, was undoubtedly a diplomatic coup, its implementation became bogged down for another ten years. South African delaying tactics and the decision by American president Ronald Reagan's administration to link a Cuban withdrawal from Angola
to Namibian independence frustrated hopes of an immediate settlement. On 19 March 1989, the signing of the cease-fire agreement with South Africa took place, which resulted in the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 435.

After 29 years in exile, Nujoma returned to Namibia in September 1989 to lead SWAPO to victory in the UN-supervised elections that paved the way for independence. Nujoma returned a day before the UN deadline for the Namibia people to register to vote for an election that would draft a constitution when it received its Independence from South Africa.

Frederik de Klerk, president of South Africa, and Nelson Mandela
, just released from prison.

President of SWAPO

External image
image icon http://www.klausdierks.com/images/Nujoma_1960s.jpg Sam Nujoma (right) with Bishop Colin Winter and Shapua Kaukungua, 1960s. Original source: Namibia State Archive.

In 1959 Nujoma co-founded the

Namibian War of Independence, which lasted 24 years. During the struggle, Nujoma took the combat name "Shafiishuna", meaning "lightning", as the name was in his family on his father's side.[7] During the liberation struggle Nujoma was also the commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) and the chairman of the Swapo Military Council, which was the biggest decision making body of PLAN.[8]

After serving 47 years as leader of SWAPO, he was succeeded by Hifikepunye Pohamba in 2007. There was speculation that he would be re-elected as SWAPO leader in 2007 and that he was planning to run for president again in 2009.[9] In early October 2007, however, Nujoma said that he had no intention of seeking re-election as SWAPO President and would stand aside in favour of Pohamba.[10][11] Pohamba was accordingly elected unopposed as SWAPO president on 29 November 2007 at a party congress. Nujoma said that he was "passing the torch and mantle of leadership to comrade Pohamba".[12] The congress also decided to give Nujoma the title of Leader of the Namibian Revolution, in addition to his existing title, Founding Father of the Namibian Nation.[13] Choosing to leave active politics, Nujoma was not re-elected to the SWAPO Central Committee nor the Politburo,[14] but the congress granted him permission to attend meetings of the Central Committee and Politburo "at his discretion". He may also receive the title of National Chairman of SWAPO.[13]

President of Namibia

Nujoma pictured on an HIV billboard in 2004

As head of SWAPO, Nujoma was unanimously declared president upon the victory of SWAPO in a United Nations-supervised election in 1989, and was sworn in by

UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
on 21 March 1990.

At independence, Namibia was gravely divided as a result of a century of colonialism, dispossession, and racial discrimination, compounded by armed struggle and propaganda. For instance, SWAPO had been so demonised by the colonial media and by official pronouncements that most white people, as well as many members of other groups, regarded the movement with the deepest fear, loathing, and suspicion. One of Nujoma's earliest achievements was to proclaim the policy of "national reconciliation", which aimed to improve and harmonise relations amongst Namibia's various racial and ethnic groups. Under his presidency, Namibia made steady if unspectacular economic progress, maintained a democratic system with respect for human rights, observed the rule of law, and worked steadily to eradicate the heritage of apartheid in the interests of developing a non-racial society. Nujoma successfully united all Namibians into a peaceful, tolerant and democratic society governed by the rule of law.

In 1992 Norway decided to stop drought relief to Namibia in response to the purchase of an expensive new presidential jet and two new

VIP helicopters. The planes were bought a few weeks after Nujoma had appealed to the international community for drought aid.[15]

In 1990 Nujoma initiated a plan for

whites to blacks. Some 12% of the total commercial farmland in the country was taken away from white farmers and given to black citizens by 2007.[16] However, according to a 1998 statement made by the Cabinet of Namibia "the agricultural base is too weak to offer a sustainable basis for prosperity" and 38% of Namibia's rural population continue to live beneath the poverty line as of 2010.[17]

Nujoma with Shankar Dayal Sharma, President of India, in 1995.

Nujoma was re-elected as President of Namibia in December 1994 with 76.3% of the vote.[18] The constitution of Namibia was changed to allow Nujoma to run for a third five-year term in 1999; this was justified on the grounds that he had not been directly elected for his first term, and the change applied only to Nujoma. He won the 1999 election with 76.8% of the vote.[18] The constitution did not allow Nujoma to run in November 2004 for a fourth term, and there was not much enthusiasm even within SWAPO to change it again. Hifikepunye Pohamba, described as Nujoma's "hand-picked successor", was elected as the candidate for the presidential election during the SWAPO congress held on 30 May 2004, defeating two other candidates, Nahas Angula and Hidipo Hamutenya. The latter had been dismissed from his post of Foreign Affairs minister by Nujoma barely two days before the congress. Pohamba was elected with a large majority and was sworn in as second President of Namibia on 21 March 2005.

Nujoma with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, in 2004

In 1998 Nujoma came to the defence of the

Laurent Kabila when his rule came under threat from rebels backed by Rwanda and Uganda during the Second Congo War. Namibia became involved in the war on behalf of its commitment to the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Namibian, Angolan and Zimbabwean troops helped Kabila fend off the attacks – a move which Nujoma saw as defending the DRC's sovereignty against outside interference.[19][20][21]

Nujoma in 2003

Nujoma was the international patron and a strong supporter of the Cheetah Conservation Fund, based in Namibia.[22]

In 2001, Nujoma announced purges against gays and lesbians in Namibia, saying "the police must arrest, imprison and deport homosexuals and lesbians found in Namibia."[23]

Post-presidency

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Windhoek
on 25 June 2009.
Sam Nujoma with awarded athletes Beatrice Masilingi and Christine Mboma and their coach Henk Botha in Walvis Bay, on 24 Novembre 2021.

Despite stepping down from a formal role, Nujoma is still active in the political sphere, regularly campaigning for SWAPO at various rallies and functions across the country. In 2009, Nujoma attained a master's degree in geology from the University of Namibia.

The director of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) in Namibia stated that Nujoma had connections to the CIA.[24] The organisation has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Nujoma and what they say is his role in disappearances during his term. To date, these claims have not been substantiated.[25]

Despite his commitment and actions during his presidency to foster racial reconciliation and harmony between the various ethnic groups of Namibia, Nujoma has made controversial and violent remarks after his presidency. In mid- June 2009, he called on the SWAPO party youth to take up arms and, as he put it, "drive the colonists out of the country".[26] In the same month in 2009, Sam Nujoma attacked the German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (DELK), accusing it of having "collaborated with the enemy before independence and possibly still being an enemy". He also said: "We tolerate them. But if they don't behave, we will attack them. And when they call their white friends from Germany, we will shoot them in the head”.[27] In September 2009, during a speech in northern Namibia defending Robert Mugabe, Nujoma repeatedly verbally attacked Americans, Britons and Germans and urged his supporters: “as soon as you see an Englishman, hit him with a hammer in the head.” He further added, as he had done previously in June 2009: “...that Germans who are unwilling to cooperate should be shot in the head.”[28]

Marriage and personal life

Nujoma married Kovambo Theopoldine Katjimune on 6 May 1956.[29] The couple had three sons and one daughter; Utoni Daniel (born 1952), John Ndeshipanda (1955–1993),[30] Sakaria "Zacky" Nujoma (born 1957), and Nelago Nujoma (born 1959), who died at 18 months while Nujoma was in exile.[31] Two decades elapsed before his wife joined him abroad. Nujoma's first-born son, Utoni, is a high ranking politician and member of SWAPO who is both a member of Cabinet and National Assembly of Namibia. His youngest son, Zacky, is a geologist by profession who has interest in business and mining.

Nujoma's father, Daniel Uutoni Nujoma, whose sole "crime" was being Nujoma's father, was arrested at Okahao and sent to Pretoria prison in 1966. There he developed tuberculosis from which he later died in 1968.[32] Nujoma's mother, Kuku

Helvi Mpingana Kondombolo, lived to an exceptionally old age, dying in November 2008; she was reportedly more than 100 years old.[33]

Sakaria "Zacky" Nujoma, youngest son of Nujoma, has been named in association with the Panama Papers.[34]

Honours and recognition

Date of award Honour/Award Title Reason for Award Awarding Body
1 1973 Lenin Peace Prize
USSR
2 1980 Frederic Joliot Curie Gold Medal
3 1984 Medaglia Pontificia (Pope's Medal) Anno VI
The Vatican City
, Italy
4 1988 Grant Master Order Merit: The Grant Cruz (Highest Order) Brazil
5 1988 Ho Chi Minh Peace Award Vietnam
6 1988 The Namibia Freedom Award For his leadership role in the struggle against apartheid California State University, USA
7 1988 Honorary Citizenship of the City of Atlanta For his leadership role in the struggle for freedom, national independence and social justice Atlanta, USA
8 1988 Recognition granted
City and County of San Francisco
9 1988 Recognition granted
City of Chicago
10 1988 Recognition granted City of East Palo Alto
11 1990 Indira Gandhi Peace Prize for Disarmament and Development In recognition of his outstanding contribution in leading the people of Namibia to freedom India
12 1991 Medaglia Pontificia (Pope's Medal) Anno XIII The Vatican City, Italy
13 1991 Order of José Martí Cuba
14 1991 Ordre du Merite Congo
Republic of Congo
15 1992
Chief of Golden Heart
 Kenya
16 1992 Order of the National Flag (First Class)
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
17 1994 "Grand Cordon" Decoration Tunisia
18 1995 Grand Master of the Order of Welwitschia Namibia
19 1995 Order of Liberty (Grand Collar) Portugal
20 1995 Africa Prize for Leadership for the Sustainable End of Hunger The Hunger Project
21 1996 Order of Good Hope (Gold) South Africa
22 2002 Order of Friendship Award Vietnam
23 2003 O.B.F.F.S. Romania
24 2003 Fellowship Award of the Institute of Governance and Social Research In recognition of his contribution to the liberation of his country, the establishment of Democratic foundation, peace and Political stability in Namibia, and the enhancement of the dignity of the Black Man Institute of Governance and Social Research, Nigeria
25 2004 Companion of the Order of the Star of Ghana (Ghana National Highest Award) As an expression of respect and admiration of the Government and people of Ghana Ghana
26 2004 Founding President of the Republic of Namibia and Father of the Namibian Nation In recognition of his dedication to his selfless sacrifice to the national liberation struggle and nation building Namibian Parliament
27 2004 Lifetime Conservation Award Cheetah Conservation Fund (Nujoma is the international patron of this organisation since 1991)[35]
28 2007 Leader of the Namibian Revolution SWAPO Party of Namibia
29 2008 International KIM IL Sung Prize Certificate
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
30 2010
Sir Seretse Khama SADC Meda
 SADC
31 2016 Order of Solidarity "El Mehdi Ben Barka" Awarded to Third World personalities who have won the esteem of the peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America because of their struggle and outstanding contribution in the common battle for freedom, independence, peace, economic development and social justice. Cuba[36]
32 2018 Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo For his opposition to the government of Apartheid South Africa South Africa
33 2021 Order of Francisco de Miranda First Class By the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan Minister of the People's Power for Foreign Relations, Jorge Arreasza) Venezuela[37]

Honorary doctorates

Date of award Title Awarding University
1 1973 Honorary Doctorate of Law Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria
1 1975 Honorary Doctorate of Computer Science Ombwana University, Malawi
2 1986 Certificate of Honour University of Ibadan, Nigeria
3 1990 Honorary Doctorate Degree of Law Lincoln University, USA
4 1990 Honorary Doctorate Degree of Law National University of Lesotho, Lesotho[38]
5 1992 Honorary Doctorate Degree of Technology
Federal University of Technology Minna
, Nigeria
6 1993 Honorary Doctorate Degree in Education University of Namibia
7 1993 Honorary Doctorate Degree of Law Central State University, USA
8 1996 Doctor of Laws University of Atlanta, USA,
9 1997 Honorary Doctorate Degree of Laws Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA
10 1998 Honorary Doctorate Degree Russian Economic Academy, Russia
11 1998 Honorary Doctorate Degree
Peoples' Friendship University of Russia
, Russia
12 1999 Honorary Degree of Doctor of Public Service
La Roche College
, USA
13 1999 Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws University of Zimbabwe
15 2003 Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Nigeria
14 2005 Honorary Doctorate in Public Management
Polytechnic of Namibia[39]
15 2006 Honorary Professor China University of Geosciences
16 2015 Doctor of Philosophy in Peace and Conflict Studies University of Zambia

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-783-01867-3.[permanent dead link
    ]
  2. ISBN 978-1615303984. Archived
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  6. ^ "As Crowds Cheer, Namibia Guerrilla Chief Ends Exile". The New York Times. 1989. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  7. ^ Baffour Ankomah, Nujoma – 'No Fourth Term For Me' Archived 20 March 2005 at the Wayback Machine, Swans, 17 November 2003.
  8. ^ "Whatever happened to the Military Council?". The Villager Newspaper. 27 August 2012. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  9. ^ John Grobler (4 February 2007). "Play it again, Sam". Mail & Guardian. South Africa. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007.
  10. ^ "Former president Nujoma to quit active politics". African Press Agency. 2 October 2007.
  11. ^ "Namibia's ex-president retires". Archived from the original on 4 April 2008., AFP (News24.com), 3 October 2007.
  12. ^ "Nujoma succeeded by Pohamba". IOL. AFP. 30 November 2007.
  13. ^ a b Brigitte Weidlich, "A title for Nujoma, brickbats for media". The Namibian. 3 December 2007. [permanent dead link]
  14. ^ Christof Maletsky, "Swapo big names dropped". The Namibian. 3 December 2007. Archived from the original on 8 July 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
  15. ^ Burling, Kate (6 August 1992). "Norwegian sympathies crash over THAT JET" (PDF). The Namibian. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Land reform reproducing poverty". IRIN News b. 15 November 2007. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  17. ISBN 978-99945-61-09-4. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  18. ^ a b "Elections in Namibia". African Elections Database. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2007.
  19. ^ "Scramble for the Congo Anatomy of an Ugly War" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013.
  20. ^ "No Namibian troops to DRC". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  21. ^ "Namibia will withdraw troops once UN peacekeepers in place". IRIN. 25 November 1999. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  22. ^ "Help CCF and Namibia Celebrate Our 25th Anniversaries! – Cheetah Conservation Fund : Cheetah Conservation Fund". cheetah.org. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  23. ^ "Namibian president announces purges against gays". Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  24. ^ P. ya Nangoloh (7 February 2007). "An exposé about Nujoma's CIA connections. Part 1". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2007.
  25. ^ "Namibian group seeks ICC investigation of ex-leader". Reuters, republished on CNN.com. CNN. 31 July 2007. Archived from the original on 7 August 2007. Retrieved 10 August 2007.
  26. ^ "Jugend gemahnt". web.archive.org. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  27. ^ "„Wir schießen ihnen in Köpfe“". web.archive.org. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Neue Hasstiraden von Nujoma". web.archive.org. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  29. ^ Dierks, Klaus. "Biographies of Namibian Personalities, N". www.klausdierks.com. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  30. ^ Namutewa, Tyappa (11 October 1993). "'Pakkie' laid to rest" (PDF). The Namibian. pp. 1, 3.
  31. ^ "Biography". Sam Nujoma Foundation. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  32. ^ "Andimba A Toivo Ya Toivo". Parliament of Namibia. Archived from the original on 30 March 2004.
  33. ^ "'Grandmother of the nation' passes away", The Namibian, 27 November 2008.
  34. ^ Mongudhi, Tileni; Kahiurika, Ndanki (7 April 2016). "Nujoma link in 'Panama Papers'". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  35. ^ "President Nujoma Given Conservation Award" (PDF). CCF News. Spring 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2012.
  36. ^ "Cuba honours Nujoma". Namibian Sun. 14 October 2016. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  37. ^ Tjitemisa, Kuzeeko (4 March 2021). "Nujoma humbled by Venezuela recognition". New Era. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  38. ^ "NUL History – NUL". National University of Lesotho. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  39. ^ Philander, Frederick (11 April 2005). "Namibia: Do We Have What It Takes?". New Era. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012.

In book and film

External links

Party political offices
New political party President of SWAPO
1960–2007 		Succeeded by
First SWAPO nominee for President of Namibia
1994, 1999
Political offices
New office President of Namibia
1990–2005 		Succeeded by


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