Utoni Nujoma

Utoni Daniel Nujoma (born 8 September 1952) is a Namibian politician who serves as Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation since March 2020. He has served in various government ministerial positions in the government since 2010.

Utoni Nujoma
Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation
Assumed office
22 March 2020
PresidentHage Geingob
Preceded byErkki Nghimtina
Minister of Land Reform
In office
21 March 2015 – 22 March 2020
PresidentHage Geingob
Preceded byAlpheus ǃNaruseb
Succeeded byCalle Schlettwein
Minister of Justice
In office
4 December 2012 – 21 March 2015
PresidentHifikepunye Pohamba
Preceded byPendukeni Iivula-Ithana
Succeeded byAlbert Kawana
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
2010 – 4 December 2012
PresidentHifikepunye Pohamba
Preceded byMarco Hausiku
Succeeded byNetumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah
Personal details
Born (1952-09-08) 8 September 1952
Windhoek, South-West Africa
NationalityNamibian
Political partySWAPO
ParentsSam Nujoma (father)
(b. 1929)
Kovambo Nujoma (mother)
(b. 1931)
Alma materUniversity of Warwick
Lund University
OccupationPolitician
ReligionLutheran

Nujoma is also a member of the Central Committee and Politburo of SWAPO.[1] He is the first born son of Namibia's founding President Sam Nujoma, who was in office as president from 1990 to 2005, and Kovambo Nujoma, the former First Lady of Namibia.[2][3]

Education and early life

Nujoma was born in Windhoek's Old Location (now Hochland Park) and raised by his mother Kovambo, as his father, SWAPO leader Sam Nujoma left for exile when Utoni was eight years old. He attended Rhenish Missionary School in Windhoek and later the Augustineum but was expelled in 1972 due to his political activity. In May 1974, Nujoma and his two brothers John and Sacky left to join their father in exile in Angola.[4][5]

In 1974 Nujoma was sent to the Soviet Union to receive training in guerrilla warfare. After his return to Zambia he was stationed at the People's Liberation Army of Namibia's military base of Shaatotwa. After Angola became independent in 1975 he was transferred there. In 1986 Nujoma was sent to Cuba for studies in political science; he returned in 1987. After Independence of Namibia he graduated with an LLB degree from University of Warwick in England (1991), and with a LLM degree from Lund University in Sweden in 1995.[5]

Politics

Nujoma served as Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice between 1992 and 1997. He was first elected to the Central Committee of SWAPO at the party's August 2002 congress,[6] receiving 316 votes and placing 22nd out of the 57 members elected.[7] He has served as a member of the National Assembly of Namibia and became Deputy Minister of Justice in 2005.[8] He received the second highest number of votes in the election for members of the Central Committee at SWAPO's November 2007 congress.[9]

Nujoma was promoted to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2010.[5] In the wake of the December 2012 SWAPO congress and the subsequent Cabinet reshuffle, Nujoma became Minister of Justice, succeeding Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana.[10] Nujoma was appointed as Minister of Land Reform by President Hage Geingob in March 2015.[11] In 2020, he was appointed to lead the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation.[12]

References
  1. "Utoni Nujoma verbally assaults Editor". Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  2. https://allafrica.com/stories/201907220325.html | Namibia: Farm Like White People, Nujoma Urges - allAfrica.com
  3. https://www.namibian.com.na/68787/read/Nujoma-fumes-over-farm--Go-to-hell | - The Namibian
  4. Hopwood, Graham. Guide to Namibian Politics, 2007 edition. Namibia Institute for Democracy, Windhoek, 2007
  5. "Profile of Comrade Utoni Nujoma, Candidate for SWAPO Party Secretary General". The Namibian. 23 November 2012. p. 24f.
  6. Tangeni Amupadhi, "Few surprises in CC vote", The Namibian, 29 August 2002.
  7. "The ruling party's new Central Committee", The Namibian, 27 August 2002.
  8. Profile at Namibian Parliament website.
  9. Christof Maletsky, "Swapo big names dropped", The Namibian, 3 December 2007.
  10. Shipanga, Selma; Immanuel, Shinovene (5 December 2012). "Transition team picked". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012.
  11. "Geingob announces Cabinet" Archived 2 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The Namibian, 20 March 2015.
  12. Nakatana, Festus (23 March 2020). "Geingob drops Cabinet surprises". New Era Live. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
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