Peter Hitjitevi Katjavivi (born 12 May 1941) 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 served as Speaker of the

National Assembly of Namibia The National Assembly is the lower chamber of Namibia's bicameral Parliament. Its laws must be approved by the National Council, the upper house. Since 2014, it has a total of 104 members. 96 members are directly elected through a system of cl ...

from March 2015 until March 2025. He was also the chancellor of the

Namibia University of Science and Technology 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 ...

from 1992 to 2003. Previously he was the founding Vice-Chancellor of 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 ...

from 1992 to 2003, Ambassador to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

from 2003 to 2006, Ambassador to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

from 2006 to 2008, and Director General of the National Planning Commission from 2008 to 2010.

Life and career

Peter Katjavivi was born in Okahandja and attended a primary school in

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 ...

, then 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 ...

in Okahandja (1960–61) and the Government College Umuahia, Nigeria (1963-1966). In 1966/67 he began studying History, Law, and Political Science at the

University of Dar es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) (Swahili: ''Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam'') is a public university located in Ubungo District, Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. ...

, Tanzania. Katjavivi joined

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 ...

in the 1960s and was head of SWAPO's overseas offices in London. In 1986 he obtained a doctorate (DPhil) at

St Antony's College, Oxford St Antony's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1950 as the result of the gift of French merchant Sir Antonin Besse of Aden, St Antony's specialises in international relations, economics, politic ...

. In 1989, he was a member of the

Constituent Assembly of Namibia Below is a list of members of the Constituent Assembly of Namibia, which became the National Assembly of Namibia upon independence in March 1990. Individual members were selected by political parties voted for in the 1989 election, the first ...

. From 1992 to 2003 he was Vice-Chancellor of the

, the foundation of which he had significant influence. Katjavivi was a member of numerous national and international educational, cultural, and research organizations. He served as President of the Namibia Economic Policy Research Unit beginning in 1990, as Chairman of the Council of National Monuments (now the National Heritage Council of Namibia) from 1992 to 2000, and as an Executive Council Member of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

from 1993 to 1997. From 2003 to 2006 he was Namibia's Ambassador to the European Union in Brussels, and from 2006 to 2008, Ambassador to Germany. He was appointed as Director-General of the National Planning Commission on 8 April 2008. Following the November 2009 parliamentary election, 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 ...

appointed Katjavivi to the National Assembly as one of the six non-voting members of parliament appointed by the President for the term that began in March 2010. Subsequently, he was

's Chief Whip in the National Assembly. He was elected to the National Assembly in the November 2014 parliamentary election as a

candidate. When the National Assembly began sitting for its new term on 20 March 2015, Katjavivi was sworn in as Speaker of Parliament, succeeding

Theo-Ben Gurirab Theo-Ben Gurirab (23 January 1938 – 14 July 2018) was a Namibian politician who served in various senior government positions. He served as the second prime minister of Namibia from 28 August 2002 to 20 March 2005, following the demotion and ...

. In 2016 he was appointed

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

(NUST).

Personal life

Katjavivi was married to a British woman Jane, and has five children. Besides his native Herero, he speaks five other languages.

Awards

*Ordre des Palmes Académiques , France, 1996 *Distinguished Academic Visitor Award, New Delhi, India, 1998 *Honorary Doctorate of the University of Joensuu, Finland, 1999 *Certificate of Service to the Executive Council of the Association of African Universities (AAU), 2002 * Most Brilliant Order of the Sun, First Class,

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

Publications

*''The Road to Namibian Independence'', Gamsberg Macmillan, Windhoek. *''Church and Liberation in Namibia'', Zwan Publications, London, 1989. *''A History of Resistance in Namibia'', James Currey, London, 1988

References

External links

Interview with Peter Katjavivi by Tor Sellström within the project Nordic Documentation on the Liberation Struggle in Southern Africa
– dated 20 March 1995 {{DEFAULTSORT:Katjavivi, Peter 1941 births Living people People from Okahandja Politicians from Otjozondjupa Region Herero people SWAPO politicians Speakers of the National Assembly (Namibia) Members of the 1st National Assembly of Namibia Members of the 5th National Assembly of Namibia Members of the 6th National Assembly of Namibia Members of the 7th National Assembly of Namibia Namibian diplomats Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford Government College Umuahia alumni Namibia University of Science and Technology University of Dar es Salaam alumni University of Namibia