Job Amupanda

Job Shipululo Amupanda
Activist of Affirmative Repositioning
Assumed office
2014
Secretary for Information, Publicity and Mobilisation of the SWAPO Party Youth League
In office
2012–2014
Senior Lecturer (Political Science) University of Namibia
Assumed office
2015
Personal details
Born (1987-08-28) 28 August 1987
Omaalala, Oshana Region
Nationality Namibian
Residence Windhoek
Alma mater University of Namibia Stellenbosch University University of South Africa
Occupation Social Justice Activist, Academic
Profession Political Scientist
Website http://shipululo.blogspot.com/

Job Shipululo Amupanda is a Namibian politician and academic at the University of Namibia who, before his suspension and resignation in 2014 served as the Secretary for Information, Publicity and Mobilisation of the SWAPO Party Youth League since 2012. He is the co-founder and leader of the Affirmative Repositioning movement, a movement setup by radical youth activists of the SWAPO Party Youth League.

Education and career

Amupanda studied at the University of Namibia where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Political Science, and served as the President of the Students' Council (among other portfolios) where he gained popularity during his tenure.[1] In 2010 he continued his studies at Stellenbosch University where he graduated with BA Honours in Political Science (2010) and MA in Political Science (2012). He also holds a BA Honors in History from University of South Africa [2] While at Stellenbosch he founded the Stellenbosch Political Science Students Association (SPOSSA) and a served as Political Education Officer and later Deputy Secretary of the South African Students Congress. He dedicated his masters degree to the children of Namibia especially those who went to school without shoes. He is currently defending his Philosophy degree (PhD). Amupanda was one of the few radical youths in Namibia and is very outspoken on youth matters.[3][4]. He scooped the Windhoek Observer 2015 award of Newsmaker of the year in the Politics category where he was competing with, amongst others President Hage Geingob and went to get the Overall Newsmaker award for the year 2015.

He hold political admiration for Burkina Faso's Thomas Sankara, Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe, South Africa's Steve Biko, Robert Sobukwe and Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters.[5]

Amupanda under the banner of Affirmative Repositioning mobilised thousands of young people who turned up at the City of Windhoek's head office in Windhoek and submitted over 14,000 land application forms.[6] Amupanda resigned his position as spokesperson for the SWAPO Party Youth League before being subsequently expelled from SWAPO in November 2014 after being involved in a municipal land grab in response to reports of corruption by the Windhoek municipality.[7] He successfully challenged his expulsion from the party in court and was reinstated as a party member in May 2016.[8]

'As you are aware, attempts are being made to place the above principles on auction. To reduce me into a jacket, a consequence and extension of other people’s opinion. To reduce me into a silent zombie with no opinion but to clap hands and sing songs. It is being made clear that I must begin to look away even on matters of inconsistency. It is being made clear that I must appear indifferent even when those we represent are desperately looking for someone to stand up for them. This, comrade secretary, I cannot allow. I refuse to turn the other cheek to be slapped as would the biblical character we read when we were young. The situation has become untenable. It has become soo untenable such that being in the National Executive Committee has clearly come to mean something different from what some of us thought it was. I am unable to continue serving as Secretary for Information, Publicity and Mobilization. I will, however, remain a member of the SPYL Central Committee.'.

— Job Amupanda, 2014 (extract from resignation letter addressed to SPYL SG Elijah Ngurare).[9]

References

  1. ↑ Isaacs, Denver (27 May 2009). "Unam SRC on 'warpath'". The Namibian. p. 1.
  2. ↑ "Job Amupanda obtains Masters in Political Science". Namibia Economist. 14 December 2012.
  3. ↑ Job Shipululo Amupanda (2013-01-20), Job Shipululo Amupanda - on One on One.mov, retrieved 2017-09-08
  4. ↑ Haufiku, Mathias (17 July 2014). "Wrangle Over Geingob - Prime Minister Says No One Must Feel Left Out". New Era. allafrica.com.
  5. ↑ Machivenyika, Farirai (9 August 2014). "Factional fights rile President". The Herald.
  6. ↑ Tjihenua, Theresia; Haidula, Tuyeimo (24 November 2014). "14 000 submit land applications". The Namibian.
  7. ↑ "Swapo suspends Amupanda". The Namibian. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Muraranganda, Elvis (16 May 2016). "Swapo welcomes back expelled quartet". New Era.
  9. ↑ http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=20160&page_type=story_detail

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