POLITICIANS from Namibia

Top 6

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Namibian Politicians of all time. This list of famous Namibian Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Sam Nujoma (b. 1929)

With an HPI of 68.04, Sam Nujoma is the most famous Namibian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 47 different languages on wikipedia.

Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma, (; born 12 May 1929) is a Namibian revolutionary, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served three terms as the first President of Namibia, from 1990 to 2005. Nujoma was a founding member and the first president of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) in 1960. Before 1960, SWAPO was known as the Ovambo People's Organisation (OPO). He played an important role as leader of the national liberation movement in campaigning for Namibia's political independence from South African rule. He established the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) in 1962 and launched a guerrilla war against the apartheid government of South Africa in August 1966 at Omugulugwombashe, beginning after the United Nations withdrew the mandate for South Africa to govern the territory. Nujoma led SWAPO during the lengthy Namibian War of Independence, which lasted from 1966 to 1989. Nujoma became involved in anti-colonial politics during the 1950s. In 1959, he co-founded and served as the first president of the Ovamboland People's Organization (OPO), a nationalist organization advocating an independent Namibia. In December 1958 he was an organizer of the Old Location resistance and was arrested and deported to Ovamboland. In 1960 he escaped and went into exile in Tanzania where he was welcomed by Julius Nyerere. Namibia finally achieved independence from South Africa in 1990, holding its first democratic elections. SWAPO won a majority and Nujoma was elected as the country's first President on 21 March 1990. He was re-elected for two more terms in 1994 and 1999. Nujoma retired as SWAPO party president on 30 November 2007. He published his autobiography Where Others Wavered in 2005. He has received multiple honors and awards for his leadership, including the Lenin Peace Prize, the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize, and the Ho Chi Minh Peace Prize. The Parliament of Namibia honored him with the titles "Founding President of the Republic of Namibia" and "Father of the Namibian Nation". In 2007 SWAPO named him "Leader of the Namibian Revolution."

2. Hage Geingob (1941 - 2024)

With an HPI of 64.58, Hage Geingob is the 2nd most famous Namibian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 53 different languages.

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 first prime minister of Namibia from 1990 to 2002, and served again from 2012 to 2015. Between 2008 and 2012 Geingob served as Minister of Trade and Industry. In November 2014, Geingob was elected president of Namibia by an overwhelming margin. In November 2017, Geingob became the third president of the ruling SWAPO Party after winning by a large margin at the party's sixth Congress. He served as the party's president until his death. In August 2018, Geingob began a one-year term as chairperson of the Southern African Development Community.

3. Hifikepunye Pohamba (b. 1936)

With an HPI of 57.34, Hifikepunye Pohamba is the 3rd most famous Namibian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 47 different languages.

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 presidential election overwhelmingly as the candidate of SWAPO and was reelected in 2009. Pohamba was the president of SWAPO from 2007 until his retirement in 2015. He is a recipient of the Ibrahim Prize. Before his presidency, Pohamba served in various ministerial positions, beginning with Namibia's independence in 1990. He was Minister of Home Affairs from 1990 to 1995, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources from 1995 to 1997, Minister without portfolio from 1997 to 2000, and Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation from 2001 to 2005. He was also secretary-general of SWAPO from 1997 to 2002 and vice-president of SWAPO from 2002 to 2007.

4. Saara Kuugongelwa (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 52.11, Saara Kuugongelwa is the 4th most famous Namibian Politician.  Her biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila (born 12 October 1967) is a Namibian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Namibia since 2015. She is a member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) and has been a member of the National Assembly of Namibia since 1995. She served as Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2015. She is the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Namibia. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila holds an Hon. Doctorate in Public Finance and an MSC in Financial Economics. She was an Economist at, the Office of the President in 1995 and Director General of the National Planning Commission from 1995 to 2003.

5. Nahas Angula (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 51.99, Nahas Angula is the 5th most famous Namibian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Nahas Gideon Angula (born 22 August 1943) is a Namibian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 4 December 2012. He was succeeded by Hage Geingob in a cabinet reshuffle after the 2012 SWAPO Party congress. He subsequently served as Minister of Defence from 2012 to 2015. Angula is a member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO). He was Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport from 1990 to 1995 and Minister of Higher Education from 1995 to 2005.

6. Theo-Ben Gurirab (1938 - 2018)

With an HPI of 50.18, Theo-Ben Gurirab is the 6th most famous Namibian Politician.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

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 subsequent resignation of Hage Geingob. Previously he was the country's first Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1990 to 2002 and was President of the United Nations General Assembly from 1999 to 2000. He was Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia from 2005 to 2015, when he was replaced by Peter Katjavivi. Gurirab ultimately resigned from politics in 2015.