Peya Mushelenga
Honourable Peya Mushelenga | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Urban and Rural Development | |
| Assumed office 8 February 2018 | |
| President | Hage Geingob |
| Prime Minister | Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila |
| Preceded by | Sophia Shaningwa |
| Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation | |
| In office 21 March 2010 – 8 February 2018 | |
| President | Hifikepunye Pohamba Hage Geingob |
| Prime Minister | Hage Geingob Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila |
| Succeeded by | Christine ǁHoebes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Oshigambo, Oshikoto Region |
| Alma mater | University of Namibia University of South Africa |
Abraham Peyavali "Peya" Mushelenga is a Namibian politician and poet. A member of SWAPO, Mushelenga has been a member of the National Assembly of Namibia since 2005 and is Namibia's current Minister of Urban and Rural Development since his appointment in 2018.[1][2]
Early life and education
Peya Mushelenga was born at Oshigambo in the Oshikoto Region of northern Namibia. He attended Oluno Senior Secondary School until 1992 and then entered the University of Namibia (UNAM). He attained a BA in History and Political Studies there in 1995, a B Juris in 2011, a LLB (Honours) in 2014, and a LLM in 2017. In parallel he studied at the Open University of Tanzania, where he obtained the BA in Economics in 2017, and at UNISA where he obtained a BA Honours and an MA in International Politics in 1997 and 2009, respectively, and a D Litt et Phil in 2015.[3]
After his first degree at UNAM Mushelenga worked as teacher at Nehale Senior Secondary School in 1996. He then worked for Government until 1998, and thereafter joined NamPower.[3]
Political career
He became active in the Namibia National Students Organisation in the 1980s and eventually became a high-level organizer for the SWAPO Party Youth League, being elected to the Central Committee and National Executive of the SPYL in 1997 and 2002. He had recently led the big delegation of 250 SWAPO Party Youth League leaders to Sochi Russia, to attend the 19th World Festival of Youth and Students, the event organized by World Federation of Democratic Youth WFDY and the Russian government. Also in 2002, he was elected to the SWAPO Central Committee as its youngest member (re-elected in 2007 and 2012).
Mushelenga became a member of Parliament of Namibia in 2005. In 2010 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.[4] In a major cabinet reshuffle he was promoted to Minister of Urban and Rural Development on 8 February 2018.[5]
Personal
In 1980, South African security forces killed Mushelenga's sister and injured other relatives during a raid on their family home in the former bantustan of Ovamboland. A book of poetry entitled "Nando Na Li Toke", written in the Ovambo dialect of Ndonga, was published by Gamsberg MacMillan in 1996.[6]
References
- ^ https://www.thevillager.com.na/articles/12718/from-a-village-boy-to-a-minister-peya-mushelenga/ The Villager Newspaper Namibia
- ^ https://www.namibian.com.na/174224/archive-read/List-of-new-Cabinet-changes | List of new Cabinet changes - The Namibian
- ^ a b "Mushelenga, Peya". Parliament of Namibia. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ Immanuel, Shinovene; Mongudhi, Tileni (20 March 2015). "Costly Democracy". The Namibian. pp. 1–2.
- ^ Immanuel, Shinovene; Shapwanale, Ndapewoshali (19 February 2018). "Presidency keeps 3 deputies". The Namibian. pp. 1–2.
- ^ Peya Mushelenga Archived 2011-06-11 at the Wayback Machine Namibia Institute for Democracy, 2007
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