Job Amupanda facts for kids

Job Shipululo Amupanda was born on 28 August 1987 in a village called Omaalala in Namibia. He is known as an activist, a university professor, and a politician. From December 2020 to December 2021, he served as the Mayor of Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia. Before becoming mayor, he was a professor at the University of Namibia. He also helped start a youth movement called Affirmative Repositioning in 2014.

His Early Life and School Days

Job Amupanda grew up in northern Namibia, in the village of Omaalala. His grandmother, Theopolina Adolf, raised him. As a child, he often helped her sell goods.

In 2005, he began studying at the University of Namibia (UNAM). He earned a bachelor's degree in political science. He later became a lecturer at the same university, teaching political science.

Becoming a Student Leader

While at UNAM, Job Amupanda became very popular. From 2008, he was the president of the Students' Council. This was his first experience in youth leadership.

He continued his studies at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. There, he earned two more degrees in political science. He also founded a student group there. He later got another degree in history from the University of South Africa. In 2020, he completed his PhD in Political Studies at the University of Namibia.

Job Amupanda is known for speaking up for young people. In 2015, the Windhoek Observer newspaper named him "Newsmaker of the Year" in politics. He was the youngest Deputy Dean at the University of Namibia when he was appointed in 2016.

Fighting for Land Rights

In 2013, Job Amupanda joined the SWAPO Party Youth League. This is the youth wing of a political party. He became their secretary for information. He strongly believed that land should be given to Namibians who didn't have any. He also wanted government groups to be more democratic.

However, his ideas about land caused disagreements with the leaders of the SWAPO Party. Because of this, Job Amupanda and some other young activists were removed from the party. After this, he started the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement. This movement continued to fight for land and other issues important to young people in Namibia.

In November 2014, Amupanda and his friends, Dimbulukeni Nauyoma and George Kambala, took a bold step. They occupied a piece of land in Klein Windhoek. They did this to demand land in the city and to protest against reports of corruption. They called their action Erf 2014.

The Affirmative Repositioning movement grew quickly. Thousands of young people gathered to support them. They submitted over 14,000 applications for land to the City of Windhoek. Later, Job Amupanda successfully challenged his removal from the SWAPO Party in court. He was allowed back into the party in May 2016.

Mayor of Windhoek

In November 2019, Job Amupanda aimed to become the Mayor of Windhoek. His Affirmative Repositioning movement supported him. On 2 December, after many months of campaigning, he was elected Mayor. Other political parties voted for him to lead the city. He served as Mayor until December 2021.

His Personal Life

On 17 August 2019, Job Amupanda married his long-time partner, Taimi Iileka. Their wedding was a private ceremony in his home village of Omaalala. Job Amupanda lives in Windhoek. He is also a big fan of boxing and enjoys taking part in boxing activities.

Images for kids

• Amupanda in 2019 at a youth protest on land in Windhoek