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74-619: NUDO was founded by Mburumba Kerina , Clemens Kapuuo , and Hosea Kutako in September 1965 at the suggestion of the Herero Chief’s Council. It was thus, at that time, an organisation that had mainly Herero followers. At the 1975-1977 Turnhalle Constitutional Conference , several ethnically based parties agreed to join the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance to form one joint opposition to SWAPO which at that time had turned

148-408: A better name for the territory of South West Africa whose independence he was fighting for. Kerina subsequently wrote an opinion piece in an Indonesian publication about a yet-to-be created country Namib and its nationalist movement, Namibianism . The claim for Kerina to have coined the name "Namib" is widely recognised, while Sam Nujoma , Namibia's founding president, is more commonly credited with

222-516: A bid to test South Africa's claims at the International Court of Justice at the Hague that Namibians in exile were free to return and its assertion that they were in self-imposed exile, Nujoma, accompanied by Hifikepunye Pohamba, chartered a plane to Windhoek. On arrival at the airport, they were arrested and deported to Zambia the next day. On 26 August 1966, the first armed clash between SWALA and

296-562: A broader group would serve the nationalist interests better. SWANU founder Fanuel Kozonguizi and OPO leader Sam Nujoma discussed whether a merger of OPO and SWANU would achieve that result but Kerina's suggestion to expand OPO into the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) was implemented in 1960, mainly because SWANU did not have the full support of the Herero Chiefs' Council. Kerina became one of SWAPO's co-founders, and

370-750: A case on South West Africa was being presented to the International Court of Justice . After breaking away from SWANU , OPO reconstituted itself as the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) in New York on 19 April 1960, Nujoma was elected president in absentia . He arrived in New York in June 1960 where he petitioned before the Sub Committee of the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly of

444-625: A century of colonialism, dispossession, and racial discrimination, compounded by armed struggle and propaganda. For instance, SWAPO had been so demonized 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

518-809: A cleaner for the South African Railways (SAR) while attending adult night school at St Barnabas Anglican Church School in the Windhoek Old Location , mainly to improve his English. He further studied for his Junior Certificate through correspondence at the Trans‐Africa Correspondence College in South Africa. During World War I, South Africa defeated the German colonial forces in South West Africa and established martial law in

592-545: A controversial conference held in Windhoek between 1975 and 1977 which was tasked with the development of a constitution for a self-governed Namibia under South African control. Sponsored by South African government, the Turnhalle Conference laid the framework for the government of South West Africa from 1977 to independence in 1989. The Turnhalle conference was widely criticised for providing "pseudo-reforms", entrenching

666-486: 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

740-473: A few weeks after Nujoma had appealed to the international community for drought aid. In 1990 Nujoma initiated a plan for land reform , in which land would be redistributed from 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. However, according to a 1998 statement made by the Cabinet of Namibia "the agricultural base

814-735: 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. The organization has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Nujoma and what they say

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888-643: A group of Namibians working in Cape Town led by Andimba Toivo ya Toivo formed the Ovamboland People's Congress (OPC). OPC was opposed to South African policies in South West Africa including the inhumane contract labor system under which people were forced to work for meager wages. In 1958, ya Toivo sent a petition to the United Nations (UN) to force the apartheid regime to relinquish South West Africa to

962-535: 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 1994 and 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 , the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize , and

1036-679: A party congress. Nujoma said that he was "passing the torch and mantle of leadership to comrade Pohamba". 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 . Choosing to leave active politics, Nujoma was not re-elected to the SWAPO Central Committee nor the Politburo, but the congress permitted him to attend meetings of

1110-647: A political marathon runner. I started in SWAPO, and now I'm doing the last mile". Between 1953 and Namibian independence in 1990, Kerina stayed in the United States but frequently visited Namibia for sustained periods. In the US he worked as an academic, holding both administrative and academic positions, often in parallel, at various institutions. Kerina held a lecturer position at New York City School of Visual Arts (1966–1968) and an assistant and later associate professor position at

1184-744: A tranquil atmosphere in which all the people of Namibia are re-examining [...] institutions of the Territory at a round-table conference of equals dedicated to mutual coexistence and survival. This historic development is in conformity with major resolutions of the United Nations, the Advisory Opinions of the International Court of Justice , and the Lusaka Manifesto . He also criticised the UN General Assembly's 1972 decision to recognise SWAPO as

1258-414: Is his role in disappearances during his term. To date, these claims have not been substantiated. 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

1332-410: Is the person to have suggested the name. The difference in preferred methods to lead the country to independence soon led to different factions within SWAPO. Kerina was on the moderate side and disliked violence. He was expelled in 1962 for publicly discussing the formation of a new party. Morgan Norval writes: However, all was not well [...]. A growing rift was developing between the moderates and

1406-476: Is too weak to offer a sustainable basis for prosperity" and 38% of Namibia's rural population continues to live beneath the poverty line as of 2010. Nujoma was re-elected as President of Namibia in December 1994 with 76.3% of the vote. The constitution of Namibia was changed to allow Nujoma to run for a third five-year term in 1999; this was justified because he had not been directly elected for his first term, and

1480-404: The de facto fifth province of South Africa. 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,

1554-658: The All African People's Conference organized by Kwame Nkrumah against the French atom bomb test in the Sahara Desert . Nujoma met with other African nationalist leaders such as Patrice Lumumba , Gamal Abdel Nasser , Joseph Kasa-Vubu , and Frantz Fanon at the conference. His early encounters with other African nationalist leaders left a lasting impression and informed his Pan-African outlook. Kwame Nkrumah assisted Nujoma to travel to United States and later to Liberia , where

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1628-565: The Aminuis Constituency on a Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) ticket. He was subsequently elected to serve in the National Council . In 2003 he quit the DTA and again joined NUDO. He was expelled in 2005, allegedly for misappropriation of funds, an accusation he denied. In 2009 he again became a member of SWAPO. Asked why he changed his political affiliation so often, Kerina said: "I am

1702-615: The Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (1968–1971). Between 1982 and 1992, he worked as a consultant. Kerina was married to Evelhardine Kapuuo-Kerina. On 5 May 2017, he married Naomi Kikii Zauana. She died only one month later on 5 June 2017, at the age of 54. Kerina lived in Windhoek 's Katutura suburb. In 2019, the City of Windhoek named former Bahnhof Street in

1776-672: 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 "Leader of the Namibian Revolution." Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma was born at Etunda, a village in Ongandjera , near the town of Okahao , Ovamboland , Southwest Africa on 12 May 1929. Nujoma was born to Helvi Mpingana Kondombolo (1898–2008) and Daniel Uutoni Nujoma (1893–1968). His mother Helvi

1850-677: The Namibia Patriotic Coalition (NPC) in 1978 which entered into an alliance with the Rehoboth Liberation Front (LF) and the Liberal Party . The NPC soon became defunct and was reestablished in 1982 under the name Namibia National Democratic Coalition (NNDC). In 1988 Kerina co-founded the Federal Convention of Namibia (FCN) with Hans Diergaardt , who became its president. In the pre-independence 1989 election

1924-634: The National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO) was founded by Kerina, Clemens Kapuuo , and Hosea Kutako . NUDO at that time was an organisation that had mainly Herero followers. It was created at the suggestion of the Herero Chiefs' Council. In 1966 Kerina broke with the Herero Chiefs' Council (and by extension, NUDO) again. That same year he established the South West Africa National United Front (SWANUF) in an attempt to unite SWANU and NUDO. The attempt

1998-531: 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 Omugulugwombashe , 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. Nujoma became involved in anti-colonial politics during

2072-693: The South West Africa National Union (SWANU) and the Ovamboland People's Organization (OPO). SWANU had its base among the Herero population while OPO was founded as an organisation of the Ovambo people. In December the Old Location Uprising in Windhoek gave the liberation struggle a different direction. Following protests and an effective boycott of municipal services by Main Location residents,

2146-576: The South West African National Union (SWANU) was formed as an umbrella body for anti-colonial resistance groups. Nujoma joined its executive committee representing OPO. After the Old Location Massacre on 10 December 1959, Nujoma was arrested and charged for organizing the resistance and faced threats of deportation to the north of the country. By the directive of OPO leadership and in collaboration with Chief Hosea Kutako , it

2220-729: 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. Nujoma was the international patron and a strong supporter of the Cheetah Conservation Fund , based in Namibia. 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." Despite stepping down from

2294-737: The United States , and to become one of the early petitioners to the United Nations . He went to the United States in 1953 and studied at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1957. Kerina then became a graduate fellow at New School for Social Research , New York, and between 1960 and 1962 did a PhD at Padjadjaran University in Bandung , Indonesia. While in Indonesia, Kerina got an audience with then-president Sukarno , who, according to Kerina, agitated him to find

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2368-491: The central business district after him in recognition of his role in the fight for Namibian independence. Kerina died due to COVID-19 in Windhoek on 14 June 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia . He was 89. Sam Nujoma Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma , ( / n uː ˈ j oʊ m ə / ; born 12 May 1929) is a Namibian revolutionary , anti-apartheid activist and politician who served three terms as

2442-469: The 'sole legitimate representative' of Namibia's people: It is unfortunate, indeed, that the United Nations has been prematurely hoodwinked into the recognition of one Namibian tribal faction as 'the sole authentic representative' group of all Namibians at the expense of the majority of the people. After the Turnhalle conference Kerina initiated a number of political movements in South West Africa. He founded

2516-611: The 1950s. In 1959, he co-founded 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

2590-935: The Americas. He represented SWAPO at the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement on 1 September 1961 in Belgrade , Yugoslavia as well as at the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia on 25 May 1963. In 1965, the OAU recognized SWAPO as the only lawful representative of the Namibian people. In 1974, the Portuguese Empire collapsed and Namibia's border with Angola became much more susceptible to guerrilla infiltration. Nujoma recognized that this paved

2664-463: The Central Committee and Politburo "at his discretion". He may also receive the title of National Chairman of SWAPO. 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

2738-581: The FCN gained one seat in the Constituent Assembly of Namibia which went to Diergaardt. When he resigned on health grounds, Kerina took over the seat from him and was elected Deputy Speaker of the house. After the Independence of Namibia in 1990 he also took FCN's seat in the 1st National Assembly of Namibia but resigned that same year. Kerina returned to active politics in 1998 as Regional Councillor for

2812-480: The Okakarara constituency councillor, Vetaruhe Kandorozu, at the party’s third elective congress, which took place on 25–26 March 2019. At the elective congress, which was held in Windhoek , Peter Kazongominja was elected vice president and Josef Kauandenge was elected secretary-general of the party. Muinjangue defeated the councillor by 240 to 227 votes. In the parliamentary election held on 15 and 16 November 2004,

2886-647: The South African security forces took place when paratroopers and police attacked SWALA combatants who had set up a camp at Omugulugwombashe. The attack would mark the beginning of 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

2960-496: The Trusteeship Council of the United Nations. Consequently, he was expelled from Cape Town to Windhoek and then to Ovamboland where he was restricted. On 19 April 1959, Nujoma and OPC cofounder Jacob Kuhangua adapted a copy of the OPC constitution and formed the Ovamboland People's Organization (OPO) in Windhoek. At its first congress, Nujoma was elected president. During the next year, he traveled to Namibia in secret mobilizing and setting up branch structures of OPO. In September 1959,

3034-514: The United Nations. Nujoma demanded that South West Africa be given its independence by 1963 at the latest. He then returned to Tanganyika in 1961, from where he and a small group of activists would develop SWAPO into an international force. He received support from other African nationalists and received strong backing from Julius Nyerere. Nujoma established SWAPO's Provisional headquarters in Dar es Salaam and arranged scholarships and military training for Namibians who had started to join him there. Among

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3108-405: The assistance of a member of the Northern Rhodesian United National Independence Party (UNIP) he crossed into the Katanga Province of Belgian Congo . There Nujoma met Moise Tshombe from the Conakat Party of Congolese . Crossing back over the border to Ndola he boarded a flight to Mbeya . In Mbeya, he was treated for malaria and escaped from the hospital after being threatened with arrest by

3182-589: The change applied only to Nujoma. He won the 1999 election with 76.8% of the vote. 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

3256-516: The colonial authorities. From Mbeya, Nujoma travelled with the assistance of officials of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) via Njombe , Iringa and Dodoma to Dar-Es-Salaam . With the assistance of Julius Nyerere , then president of TANU, he received a passport. While in Tanganyika, he received permission to address the UN Committee on South West Africa in New York. In April 1960, Nujoma traveled from Tanganyika to Khartoum , Sudan , and from there to Accra , Ghana , where he attended

3330-411: The colonists out of the country". 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

3404-427: 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

3478-400: The congress. Pohamba was elected with a large majority and was sworn in as the second President of Namibia on 21 March 2005. In 1998 Nujoma came to the defence of the Democratic Republic of Congo President 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

3552-411: 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. Before 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

3626-428: The first arrivals were Mzee Kaukungwa , Mosé Tjitendero , and Hifikepunye Pohamba . In 1962, SWAPO founded its armed wing, the South West African Liberation Army (SWALA), later renamed the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN). Nujoma himself procured the first weapons from Algeria via Egypt, Sudan , Tanzania, and Zambia, from where they were taken to Omugulugwombashe in Ovamboland . On 21 March 1966, in

3700-431: The hardliners. The hardliners, led by Nujoma, were insistent upon following the path of a war of liberation. They looked with disdain on those seeking a political solution to the independence question in Namibia. In 1964 Kerina returned from the US for an unsuccessful attempt to enter Namibia. He stayed in Bechuanaland (today Botswana ) for a while but soon was expelled from there and moved to Tanzania . In September 1965

3774-664: The head". 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." Nujoma married Kovambo Theopoldine Katjimune on 6 May 1956. The couple had three sons and one daughter; Utoni Daniel (born 1952), John Ndeshipanda (1955–1993), Sakaria "Zacky" Nujoma (born 1957), and Nelago Nujoma (born 1959), who died at 18 months while Nujoma

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3848-515: 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. The Constituent Assembly, elected in November 1989, chose him as Namibia's first president. Nujoma

3922-426: The meantime, the white inhabitants of South West Africa and conservative black members of the population, including Kerina, tried to contain the violence and preserve the status quo . The South African government hoped that by means of small reforms and compromises a broad spectrum of the indigenous population would cease their support for armed resistance. This was the aim of the Turnhalle Constitutional Conference ,

3996-463: The name "Namibia". From 1956 onwards, Kerina was among the first petitioners to the United Nations for Namibian independence on behalf of the Herero Chiefs' Council. Other early petitioners besides Kerina and Scott were Hosea Kutako , Hans Beukes , Markus Kooper , Ismael Fortune , advocate Jariretundu Kozonguizi , and Namibia's founding President Sam Nujoma . The year 1959 saw the establishment of two important Namibian black nationalist parties:

4070-399: The necessity to destroy the colonial system and institutions of the apartheid regime in Namibia to build those which will serve the interest of people irrespective of race , religion , or origin . He also warned of the danger of the installation of neocolonialist marionettes who would superficially change the visible colonial regime while the position of the majority of people would stay

4144-551: The party won 4.1% of popular votes and three out of 78 seats. Herero Chief Kuaima Riruako , the President of NUDO, was its candidate in the concurrent presidential election , placing fourth with 4.23% of the national vote. NUDO president Kuaima Riruako died on 2 June 2014, and was succeeded by Asser Mbai . in the 2014 National Assembly elections NUDO won two seats which went to president Asser Mbai and secretary-general Meundju Jahanika. Mburumba Kerina Mburumba Kerina (born William Eric Getzen ; 6 June 1932 – 14 June 2021)

4218-464: 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

4292-477: The police opened fire on the protesters, killing 11 and wounding 44 others. A brother of Kerina was among those killed. The event was one of the factors leading to the foundation of SWAPO by forcing community leaders from OPO into exile, including Sam Nujoma. It is also probably one of the main reasons for SWAPO to have put less effort into petitioning and resistance, and to turn the independence struggle into an armed conflict. Both OPO and SWANU soon realised that

4366-440: The racial segregation of Namibia's population, and indirectly reinforcing the economic and political power of the white population. Several black delegates, however, welcomed the start of institutionalised communication between the parties. Kerina did not attend the conference—he only returned from the US in 1976 after the plenary sessions—but supported its outcome. He wrote in 1977: The Constitutional Conference [...] has created

4440-446: The same. 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 the agreement on Resolution 435, which embodied

4514-400: The struggle for Namibian independence into a guerrilla war. NUDO remained part of the DTA until it withdrew in September 2003, accusing the DTA of failing to work for Herero interests. The party then held a congress in January 2004. Esther Utjiua Muinjangue became the party’s first elected female president and the first elected female leader of a Namibian political party when she defeated

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4588-404: The struggle, Nujoma took the combat name "Shafiishuna", meaning "lightning", as the name was in his family on his father's side. 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. After serving 47 years as leader of SWAPO, he

4662-437: The time South Africa administered the land under a policy of apartheid , in which the best resources were reserved for those classified white , while other Namibians were treated as inferior. After years of asking the United Nations to ensure the occupying power in South Africa released control of South West Africa, he authorized armed resistance in 1966. This began the Namibian War of Independence , which lasted 24 years. During

4736-442: The way for major changes in the way the war was being fought and over the next two years SWAPO's military campaign shifted its base from Zambia to Angola. The opening of the border enabled thousands of SWAPO supporters to stream out of Namibia to join the movement in exile. Nujoma's son Utoni Nujoma and his two brothers were among those who arrived in Zambia. At the 1977 World Conference Against Apartheid in Lisbon Nujoma underlined

4810-440: Was a Uukwambi princess by 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. His educational opportunities were limited. He started attending a Finnish missionary school at Okahao when he

4884-448: Was a Namibian politician and academic. He was a co-founder of SWAPO , NUDO , and FCN , and the founder of a host of smaller political parties. For independent Namibia, he was a member of Namibia's Constituent Assembly , as well as the National Assembly and the National Council . Kerina coined the name "Namib" for the independent state "Namibia" on the territory of South West Africa . Kerina had Ovambo and Ovaherero ancestry, and

4958-458: Was also a great-grandson of explorer and trader Frederick Thomas Green , from which he derived his surname ( Kerina Otjiherero : green ). Mburumba was born William Eric Getzen on 6 June 1932 in Tsumeb . He grew up in Walvis Bay and went to school in Windhoek 's Old Location where he attended St Barnabas Anglican Church School . While schooling he came into contact with Reverend Michael Scott , who would later enable him to study in

5032-415: Was arrested at Okahao and sent to Pretoria prison in 1966. There he developed tuberculosis from which he later died in 1968. 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. Sakaria "Zacky" Nujoma, the youngest son of Nujoma, has been named in association with the Panama Papers . In July 2024, Nujoma

5106-468: Was decided that Nujoma join the other Namibians in exile who were lobbying the United Nations on behalf of the anti-colonial cause for Namibia. In 1960, Nujoma petitioned the UN through letters and eventually went into exile in February of that year. He left Namibia on 29 February, crossing into Bechuanaland and from there traveling to Bulawayo in Southern Rhodesia by train. He flew from Bulawayo to Salisbury and on to Ndola in Northern Rhodesia . With

5180-404: Was in exile. 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 the 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,

5254-423: 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. In early October 2007, however, Nujoma said that he had no intention of seeking re-election as SWAPO President and would stand aside in favor of Pohamba. Pohamba was accordingly elected unopposed as SWAPO president on 29 November 2007 at

5328-465: Was sworn in on 21 March 1990, in the presence of Javier Pérez de Cuéllar , Secretary-General of the UN, Frederik de Klerk , president of South Africa, and Nelson Mandela , just released from prison. In 1959 Nujoma co-founded the Ovamboland People's Organization (OPO) and became its first president. The next year in 1960 he became the first president of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO). At

5402-520: Was ten and completed Standard Six, which was as high as possible for blacks during the time. In 1946, at age 17, he moved to Walvis Bay to live with his aunt, where he began his first employment at a general store for a monthly salary of 10 Shillings . 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 . In 1949, Nujoma moved to Windhoek , where he started work as

5476-484: Was unsuccessful; the two parties remained partly adversarial. SWANUF ceased its activities at the end of the 1970s. The Namibian War of Independence , which soon escalated into the South African Border War , started in August 1966. Later that year, the UN General Assembly revoked South Africa's mandate to govern South West Africa, and created the position of a United Nations Commissioner for Namibia . In

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