Pohamba Penomwenyo Shifeta (born 27 March 1968) 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. He was Namibia's Minister of Environment and Tourism from March 2015 to 21 March 2025.

Early life and education

Shifeta was born at Ongenga in the

Ohangwena Region Ohangwena is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Eenhana. Major settlements in the region are the towns Eenhana and Helao Nafidi as well as the self-governed village of Okongo and the proclaimed settlements Ongha, Ongenga and O ...

. He had been active in the SWAPO-led National Union of Namibian Workers and Namibia National Students Organisation since 1988. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science 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 ...

in 1996. He has also been involved in the

SWAPO Party Youth League The SWAPO Party Youth League (SPYL), formerly known as the SWAPO Youth League (SYL), is the youth wing of the SWAPO Party, the ruling party of Namibia since 1990.Swapo party constitution It shares the same principles as those of the SWAPO Party. ...

. Shifeta is an admitted full-time legal practitioner and completed a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree with the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...

(Unisa).

Political career

Shifeta was first elected to 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 ...

in 2004 as 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 ...

candidate. He was appointed as Deputy Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport, and Culture in March 2005, and he retained his position after the 2009 general election. In a December 2012 cabinet reshuffle, after the fifth

congress, Shifeta was moved to the post of deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism, working under Uahekua Herunga. In 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 ...

's cabinet, appointed in March 2015, Shifeta was promoted to minister of Environment and Tourism.

References

1968 births Living people Members of the National Assembly (Namibia) Politicians from Ohangwena Region University of Namibia alumni University of South Africa alumni SWAPO politicians Environment and tourism ministers of Namibia {{Namibia-politician-stub Government ministers of Namibia 21st-century Namibian politicians Ovambo people