Loide Lucky Shoopala Kasingo (born 17 February 1954)
[Loide Kasingo](_blank)
at Namibia Institute for Democracy 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 and prominent trade unionist. A member of the
South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Kasingo has been a member of the
National Assembly of Namibia since 1996 and was a deputy minister from 1996 to 2005. She has served as Deputy Speaker of Parliament since 2010. Loide Kasingo says women can bring the much needed change given their naturally assumed role of caregivers.
Early life and education
Born in
Oshikoto Region
Oshikoto is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, named after Lake Otjikoto. Its capital is Omuthiya. Further major settlements in the region are Tsumeb, Otjikoto's capital until 2008, and Oniipa. , Oshikoto had 112,170 registered voters.
Ge ...
in 1954, Kasingo studied at
Ongwediva High School in
Ongwediva in 1971. She then moved on to the
University of the North
The University of Limpopo () is a public university in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2005, by merger of the University of the North and the Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA). These previous institutio ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, where she graduated from with a
Bachelor of Jurisprudence in 1978. After taking various courses in Marketing Management in South Africa from 1983 to 1984, Kasingo was sent to
Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
for training at the
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is one of the firs ...
(ILO). In 1987, she earned a diploma in Training Methodology for Trade Union Instructors from the ILO.
Career
Kasingo rose to prominence as a key figure in the late 1980s as part of the
National Union of Namibian Workers, a SWAPO-affiliated trade union. From 1989 to 1985, she was an adult literacy instructor for the Namibia Literacy Program and the Council of Churches in Namibia. Following independence in 1990, Kasingo continued as a high-level member of NUNW in various functions.
When she was chosen by President
Sam Nujoma to replace
Ben Ulenga in the National Assembly and as Deputy Minister of Local and Regional Government and Housing. Kasingo was a public prosecutor from 1990 to 1996 for the Ministry of Justice in the
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 ...
courts. From 2000 to 2005, she was the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs. Upon the election of
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 2004, Kasingo was removed as deputy minister. Despite her demotion, she was ranked eleventh on SWAPO's list of candidates for the National Assembly, virtually guaranteeing her a place on the body, albeit as
backbencher
In Westminster system, Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no Minister (government), governmental office and is not a Frontbencher, frontbench spokesperson ...
.
Kasingo has been Deputy Speaker of Parliament since 2010. She is also vice-president of the
Pan African Parliament
The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union. It held its inaugural session in March 2004. The Parliament exercises oversight, and has advisory and consultative powers, ha ...
since May 2012.
Awards
Kasingo 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. In September 2011, Kasingo was named an honourary professor at
Jilin University in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasingo, Loide
1954 births
Living people
Namibian trade unionists
Members of the National Assembly (Namibia)
Politicians from Oshikoto Region
SWAPO politicians
20th-century Namibian women politicians
20th-century Namibian politicians
21st-century Namibian women politicians
21st-century Namibian politicians
Women members of the National Assembly (Namibia)