Job Amupanda

Job Shipululo Amupanda (born 28 August 1987 in Omaalala, Oshana Region) is a Namibian activist and politician who served as Mayor of the City of Windhoek, in office from 2 December 2020 to 1 December 2021. He is an academic at the University of Namibia before he co-founded the Affirmative Repositioning movement, a movement setup by radical youth activists of the SWAPO Party Youth League in November 2014.[1][2][3][4][5]

Job Shipululo Amupanda
Mayor of Windhoek
In office
2 December 2020 – 1 December 2021
Preceded byFransina Kahungu
Succeeded bySade Gawanas
Secretary for Information, Publicity and Mobilisation of the SWAPO Party Youth League
In office
2012–2014
Deputy Dean & Senior Lecturer (Political Science) University of Namibia
Assumed office
2015
Personal details
Born (1987-08-28) 28 August 1987
Omaalala, Oshana Region
NationalityNamibian
Spouse
Taimi Iileka
​
(m. 2019)​
ResidenceWindhoek
Alma materUniversity of Namibia Stellenbosch University University of South Africa
OccupationSocial justice activist, academic
ProfessionPolitical scientist
Websitehttp://shipululo.blogspot.com/

Early life and education

Amupanda was born in northern Namibia in Omaalala in 1987. He was raised by his grandmother Theopolina Adolf whom he used to help sell merchandise as a child.[6]

From 2005 Amupanda studied at the University of Namibia (UNAM) where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science, and from 2008 served as the president of the Students' Council where he gained popularity during his tenure.[7]

Education

In 2010 he continued his studies at Stellenbosch University where he graduated with BA Honours in political science (2010) and MA in political science (2012). He also holds a BA Honors in history from the University of South Africa.[8] While at Stellenbosch he founded the Stellenbosch Political Science Students Association (SPOSSA) and a served as political education officer and later deputy secretary of the South African Students Congress. He dedicated his master's degree to the children of Namibia especially those who went to school without shoes. In 2020, he graduated with a PhD in Political Studies at the University of Namibia. His dissertation titled The Consolidated Diamond Mines and the Natives in Colonial Namibia: A Critical Analysis of the Role of Illegal Diamonds and the Development of Owamboland (1908 - 1990). Amupanda was one of the few radical youths in Namibia and is very outspoken on youth matters.[9][10] He scooped the Windhoek Observer 2015 award of Newsmaker of the year in the politics category where he was competing with, amongst others President Hage Geingob and went to get the Overall Newsmaker award for the year 2015.

In 2015 Amupanda started lecturing political science at his alma mater UNAM. A year later, he was appointed Deputy Dean of his faculty, the youngest at the institution at the time. Utaara Mootu, Inna Hengari, Joseph Kalimbwe and Henny Seibeb were all his students.[11]

Activism career

Amupanda was first introduced to youth leadership when he was elected to the UNAM SRC in 2007 as secretary for information and publicity. The following year, he became president of the organisation at the age of 22.[12]

In 2013, he joined the SWAPO Party Youth League after being elected as the SPYL secretary for mobilisation and information by the structures of youth wing. While at the party's youth organisation, he advocated for land reforms and democratisation of state institutions. However, his stance of giving land to the landless Namibians was met with disagreements within the top four of the SWAPO Party which included President Hifikepunye Pohamba, his then deputy Hage Geingob, party Secretary General Nangolo Mbumba and his deputy who together ruled to remove and expel Amupanda along with Dimbulukeni Nauyoma, George Kambala and Elijah Ngurare from the party. After his expulsion from the party, Amupanda formed the Affirmative Repositioning movement to advocate for land and other issues affecting youths in Namibia. [13][14]

Personal life

On 17 August 2019, Amupanda married his long time partner, Taimi Iileka, a Sisa Namandje Incorporation lawyer in a private ceremony at his hometown village of Omaalala. Amupanda lives in Windhoek. He is an avid boxing fan and participates in boxing activities.[15][16]

Affirmative Repositioning

Amupanda holds political admiration for Burkina Faso's Thomas Sankara, Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe, South Africa's Steve Biko, Robert Sobukwe and Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters.[17]

In November 2014, Amupanda, Dimbulukeni Nauyoma and George Kambala, all of the SWAPO Youth League, occupied land in the affluent Klein Windhoek suburb as a means to demand land in the city, and in response to reports of corruption by the Windhoek municipality.[18] They named their action Erf 2014 to coincide with the year of action.[19][20] This move was seen by SWAPO as an illegal grab of municipal land, and all three activists were expelled. Amupanda had shortly before resigned from his position as spokesperson for the SWAPO Party Youth League.

Subsequently, Amupanda, Nauyoma and Kambala formed the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement. The movement mobilised thousands of young people who turned up at the City of Windhoek's head office in Windhoek and submitted over 14,000 land application forms.[21][22] He successfully challenged his expulsion from the party in court and was reinstated as a party member in May 2016.[23]

'As you are aware, attempts are being made to [...] reduce me into a jacket, a consequence and extension of other people's opinion. To reduce me into a silent zombie with no opinion but to clap hands and sing songs. It is being made clear that I must begin to look away even on matters of inconsistency. It is being made clear that I must appear indifferent even when those we represent are desperately looking for someone to stand up for them. This, comrade secretary, I cannot allow.'

— Job Amupanda, 2014 (extract from resignation letter addressed to SPYL SG Elijah Ngurare).[24]

Mayor of Windhoek

In November 2019, Amupanda began to position himself for the position of Mayor of Windhoek under his organization, the Affirmative Repositioning Movement. On 2 December, following months of campaigning, he was elected Mayor of the city after the opposition voted in his favour to lead the municipality.[25][26]

References
  1. https://neweralive.com.na/posts/amupanda-not-scared-after-office-break-in%5B%5D | Amupanda ‘not scared’ after office break-in - New Era Live
  2. https://allafrica.com/stories/201810090300.html | Namibia: Amupanda Approaches High Court Over Rental Control - allAfrica.com
  3. "- The Namibian".
  4. https://www.nbc.na/news/ar-movement-ready-defend-nauyoma-court-job-amupanda.20365 Archived 2019-02-03 at the Wayback Machine | AR movement is ready to defend Nauyoma against the charges- Job Amupanda | | Namibian Broadcasting Corporation
  5. https://www.namibiansun.com/news/ngurare-amupanda-to-register-economic-liberation-fighters2018-04-01 | Namibian Sun
  6. Job Amupanda: Kuku's little boy who was destined to lead Namibian Sun, 29 July 2015
  7. Isaacs, Denver (27 May 2009). "Unam SRC on 'warpath'". The Namibian. p. 1.
  8. "Job Amupanda obtains Masters in Political Science". Namibia Economist. 14 December 2012. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  9. Job Shipululo Amupanda (2013-01-20), Job Shipululo Amupanda - on One on One.mov, retrieved 2017-09-08
  10. Haufiku, Mathias (17 July 2014). "Wrangle Over Geingob - Prime Minister Says No One Must Feel Left Out". New Era. allafrica.com.
  11. "Job lands top job". Namibian Sun. 22 January 2016.
  12. https://neweralive.com.na/posts/amupanda-not-scared-after-office-break-in%5B%5D | Amupanda ‘not scared’ after office break-in - New Era Live
  13. https://neweralive.com.na/posts/shanghala-amupanda-showdown-off | Shanghala, Amupanda showdown off - New Era Live
  14. https://neweralive.com.na/posts/amupanda-opens-radical-transformation-bookshop | Amupanda opens radical transformation bookshop - New Era Live
  15. https://www.namibian.com.na/193437/archive-read/Nasria-supports-Amupanda-for-MTC-Knockout-Project | Nasria supports Amupanda for MTC Knockout Project - The Namibian
  16. "Metropolitan walks the talk with MTC Knockout Project sponsorship… 'JJD' fires shot at Amupanda".
  17. Machivenyika, Farirai (9 August 2014). "Factional fights rile President". The Herald.
  18. https://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/namibian-youth-plans-more-land-grabs-1806559 | Namibian youth plans more land grabs | IOL News
  19. https://www.newera.com.na/2015/03/26/affirmative-repositioning-grab-unoccupied-land Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine | Affirmative Repositioning could grab unoccupied land | New Era Newspaper Namibia
  20. Kamwanyah, Ndumba J (26 November 2015). "Affirmative Repositioning: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". The Namibian. p. 26.
  21. Tjihenua, Theresia; Haidula, Tuyeimo (24 November 2014). "14 000 submit land applications". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015.
  22. "Swapo suspends Amupanda". The Namibian. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  23. Muraranganda, Elvis (16 May 2016). "Swapo welcomes back expelled quartet". New Era.
  24. http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=20160&page_type=story_detail
  25. https://www.namibian.com.na/96936/read/progressive-forces-will-take-charge-of-windhoek-%E2%80%93-amupanda | Progressive forces will take charge of Windhoek – Amupanda - The Namibian
  26. https://neweralive.na/posts/jobs-mayoral-dream-comes-true | Job's mayoral dream comes true - Truth, for its own sake
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