President of Namibia

Hage Geingob, President of Namibia (since Mar 21, 2015; re-elected on Nov 27, 2020 with 56.3% of the vote)

Hage Gottfried Geingob (born 3 August 1941) is the third and the current President of Namibia, in office since 21 March 2015. Geingob was the first Prime Minister of Namibia from 21 March 1990 until 28 August 2002, he served as Prime Minister again from 4 December 2012 to 21 March 2015. Since 2007, he has been Vice-President of the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), Namibia’s ruling party, and he was Minister of Trade and Industry from 2008 to 2012.

As the Presidency in Namibia is restricted to two terms, President Hifikepunye Pohamba was due to step down in 2015, and Geingob, as SWAPO Vice-President, took his place as SWAPO’s presidential candidate. In November 2014, Geingob was elected as President of Namibia by an overwhelming margin.

In 1967 Geingob married Priscilla Charlene Cash a New York City native, the couple had one daughter Nangula Geingos-Dukes. Geingob later married Loini Kandume, a businesswoman, on September 11, 1993, in Windhoek. This was a high-profile marriage and resulted in two children, a daughter Dângos Geingos and a son Hage Geingob Jr.. Geingob initiated divorce proceedings against Kandume in May 2006, and he was granted a provisional divorce order in July 2008. Geingob married Monica Kalondo on February 14, 2015. Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium in Windhoek is named after him.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hage_Geingob

Hifikepunye Pohamba, Former President of Namibia

I Hifikepunye Pohamba, ID Number 35081800430 was a member of OPO. When OPO was dissolved and replaced by SWAPO in 1960 I became a founding member of the new organisation SWAPO, while in Tsumeb under employment of TCL.

In 1960 October, I left TCL for the then Owamboland to be a full-time SWAPO mobilizer under regional leadership of Mzee Simon Kaukungwa, Eliaser Tuhadeleni and Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo.

In June 1961 I was arrested, detained and kept in chain at Ohangwena Tribal headquarters. After several days under detention was brought before a tribal court on charges of political agitation etc. The tribal senior headmen acting on the instruction of a white South African Bantu Commissioner stationed at Oshikango sentenced me to be flogged 24 strokes with a branch of a Makalani tree. In addition I was ordered to leave Oukwanyama area.

In August 1961 I left my home village, Okanghudi, in the company of my comrades France (Mushingiwodila) Daniel and Villioh (Shiayafa) Haitembu for abroad, to Tanganyika via Bechuanaland, South Africa, Southern Rhodesia and Northern Rhodesia respectively.

I arrived in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanganyika on the country’s independence day, 9th  December 1961.

In May 1962 SWAPO leadership in exile sent me from Tanganyika back to Namibia together with Comrade Eliander Mwatale. The Southern Rhodesia authorities then arrested us, as we were about to cross the border into (Bechuanaland) Botswana. Kept in Southern Rhodesian prison for two months after which we were deported to South Africa on 1st  August 1962.

On arrival at Jan Smart Airport we were arrested and detained for some hours after which we were released and ordered to leave South Africa with in 48 hours. We left Johannesburg by train for (SWA) Namibia and arrived in Windhoek on 8th August 1962.

After approximately 7 days in Windhoek, police arrested us on charges that we had left the country unlawfully and that we were politically agitating the people to rise against the SW African government.

We were sentenced to 6 months imprisonment and released in December 1962 after the success of appeal against the 6 months sentence imposed on us.

We were deported from Windhoek to our respective home areas Oukwanyama and Uukwambi respective1y. While in the North we joined the regional party 1eadership and resumed participation in Party activities.
In February 1964 the SWAPO leadership under Mzee Simon Kaukungwa disrupted a meeting convened at Ohangwena and was to be addressed by S African minister of Bantu Affairs.

As the Minister could not address the meeting, police were called in from towns in the police zone to arrest or kill Mzee Simon Kaukungwa and other SWAPO leaders.

On March 1st  1964 Mzee S Kaukungwa, 4 other comrades and I left Okanghudi, my home, for Tanganyika via Bechuanaland, (Northern Rhodesia) Zambia.

In September 1964 I was send to Lusaka, Zambia to open SWAPO office. In the same month, CANU merged into SWAPO after an agreement reached between the two parties. I served in SWAPO office in Zambia up to December 1969. ln 1966 March, I companied SWAPO President Comrade Sam Nujoma when he came back to Windhoek to challenge S Africa illegal regime in Namibia. I participated in the SWAPO congress held in town of Tanga in Tanzania between 27th  December 1969, to 1st  January 1970.

At the Tanga SWAPO Congress I was elected member of the Central Committee and Deputy Administrative Secretary of SWAPO.

In 1970 I was assigned to represent SWAPO in North d West Africa, based in Algiers, Algeria.

In 1973 became SWAPO Party Chief Representative in East Africa, based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

In 1977 I was elected member of Polit Bureau and Secretary of Finance.
In 1979 I was appointed Officer (overall) in charge of SWAPO Affairs/Activities in Zambia.

In 1981 I was transferred from Zambia to Angola to serve as Secretary of Finance at SWAPO headquarters in Luanda.

When returned to Namibia in 1989 I served as Head of Administration at SWAPO newly established Headquarters in Windhoek.

After 1989 Elections I became a member of the Constituent Assembly. At independence, 21 March 1990 I became member of National Assembly and first Minister of Home Affairs in the Republic of Namibia.

I served as Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources and as Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation.

In 1997 I was elected SWAPO Party Secretary General at 2nd  Congress of SWAPO Party held in Windhoek.

In 2002 the 3rd  Congress elected me SWAPO Party Vice President.