Alpheus ǀGou-ǃna ǃNaruseb (born 20 March 1954) is a

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

n politician who has served in the

cabinet of Namibia The Cabinet of Namibia is an appointed body that was established by Chapter 6 (Articles 35-42) of the Constitution of Namibia. It is mandated to include: the President of Namibia, the Prime Minister of Namibia and any positions that the Presiden ...

in various portfolios. A member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), !Naruseb has served in the cabinet since 1997 and the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

since 1995.

Early life and education

ǃNaruseb was born on 20 March 1954 in

Usakos Usakos (, ) is a town on the banks of river Khan River, Khan, 140 kilometres north-east of Swakopmund in the Erongo Region of Namibia. It is located on the B2 road (Namibia), B2 (part of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor), the main road between the ...

Erongo Region Erongo is one of the 14 regions of Namibia. The capital is Swakopmund. It is named after Mount Erongo, a well-known landmark in Namibia and in this area. Erongo contains the municipalities of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Henties Bay and Omaruru, as ...

. From 1970 to 1975, he attended Martin Luther High School in Okombahe. Thereafter he worked for Rössing Uranium in several positions. He has also studied towards a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

(L.L.B.) at the

University of Namibia The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992. Background UNAM comprises the following fac ...

Political career

ǃNaruseb joined SWAPO in 1975 at the age of 21. The next year he began working as a maintenance planner at the Rössing Uranium Mine in Arandis, which lasted until 1980. In that year, he became industrial relations officer at the Mine, which lasted until independence in 1990. During the run-up to

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

the late 1980s, he was the internal SWAPO secretary for economic affairs. Following a stint as head organiser of mass organisations in SWAPO from 1990 to 1991, he joined the SWAPO central committee in that year. From 1992 to 2002, ǃNaruseb was the head of information and publicity in the SWAPO Party. He also was selected to the National Assembly in 1995.Alpheus !Naruseb
at the Namibia Institute of Democracy, 2007 In 1997, ǃNaruseb was appointed deputy Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, which lasted until his move to deputy

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

in 2003. In 2005 he was promoted to Minister of Labour and Social Welfare under the newly elected president

Hifikepunye Pohamba Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba (born 18 August 1935) is a Namibian politician who served as the second president of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 21 March 2015. He won the 2004 Namibian presidential election, 2004 presidential election overwhelming ...

. In 2008, !Naruseb was shuffled to the post of Minister of Lands and Resettlement, replacing

Jerry Ekandjo Jerry Lukiiko Ekandjo (born 17 March 1947) is a Namibian politician, former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner. He is one of the founding members of the SWAPO Youth League and has been one of the most active internal leading member ...

. ǃNaruseb expressed frustration at the pace of land reform in Namibia, suggesting that the law be changed to "prioritise the resettlement of the most needy". Under president

Hage Geingob Hage Gottfried Geingob (3 August 1941 – 4 February 2024) was a Namibian politician who served as the third president of Namibia from 2015 until his death in February 2024. Geingob was the country's first prime minister A prime minister ...

, ǃNaruseb was appointed as Minister of Works and Transport in March 2015. in 2018 he was shuffled to the post of Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry. He resigned from his political posts in 2020.

Awards

ǃNaruseb was awarded The Most Brilliant Order of the Sun second-class for his distinguished service above the call of duty, in August 2024 by President Nangolo Mbumba.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naruseb, Alpheus 1954 births Living people People from Erongo Region Members of the National Assembly (Namibia) SWAPO politicians Labour ministers of Namibia Land reform ministers of Namibia Works and transport ministers of Namibia Agriculture ministers of Namibia