Immanuel Ngatjizeko (30 May 1952 – 5 March 2022) was a Namibian politician and member of the ruling SWAPO Party. He held five ministerial portfolios from 2003 until his retirement in 2018.

Early life and education

Immanuel Ngatjizeko was born in Otjohorongo, a village near Omaruru in Namibia's central

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 ...

. He attended the

Augustineum Secondary School The Augustineum Secondary School, established in 1866, is among the oldest schools in Namibia. Originally situated in Otjimbingwe, it was relocated to Okahandja in 1890, and finally to Windhoek in 1968. Previously also known as the Augustineu ...

Windhoek Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...

and then went to study at Fort Hare in South Africa. He graduated with a Diploma in Commerce and Administration in 1976. After his return to

South West Africa South West Africa was a territory under Union of South Africa, South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, Independence of Namibia, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. ...

he worked at the Council of Churches in Namibia until 1994, heading its Finance Department. He then started working full time for SWAPO, first as Managing Director of its investment company Zebra Holdings, and from 1997 as party Secretary for Finance.Profile
from the Namibia Institute for Democracy, 2007

Political career

Ngatjizeko was a

SWAPO The South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO ; , SWAVO; , SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia (formerly South West Africa). Founded in 1960, it has been ...

party organiser from 1978. He served on the Internal National Executive Committee before Namibian independence. He was elected to SWAPO's Central Committee in 1991, and to the

politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

in 2007. Ngatjizeko was a member of

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

from 2000, and member of the Cabinet from 2003, when he was appointed Director-General of the National Planning Commission, a position equivalent to that of a minister. From 2000 to 2005, he also served as Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy. In the 2005–2010 cabinet Ngatjizeko was first Minister of Trade and Industry and from 2008 Minister of Labour and Social Welfare. In the 2010–2015 cabinet he served as Minister of Labour and Social Welfare until 2012, and as Minister of Safety and Security for the remainder of the legislative period. 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 ...

, Ngatjizeko moved back to the post of Minister of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development in March 2015. In a Cabinet reshuffle in February 2018 he became Minister of Presidential Affairs but resigned shortly thereafter and retired due to health issues.

Personal life

Ngatjizeko died on 5 March 2022, at the age of 69.

Awards and recognition

Heroes' Day Heroes' Day or National Heroes' Day may refer to a number of commemorations of national heroes in different countries and territories. It is often held on the birthday of a national hero or heroine, or the anniversary of their great deeds that ...

2014 he was conferred the Most Brilliant Order of the Sun, Second Class.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngatjizeko, Immanuel 1952 births 2022 deaths People from Erongo Region University of Fort Hare alumni Augustineum Secondary School alumni Members of the National Assembly (Namibia) SWAPO politicians Security ministers of Namibia Labour ministers of Namibia Trade and industry ministers of Namibia Directors-general of the National Planning Commission of Namibia Members of SWAPO