Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana

Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana (born October 11 1952 [http://www.nid.org.na/view_book_entry.php?book_id=63 Namibia Institute for Democracy profile] .] ) is a Namibian politician and the Secretary-General of the South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO).

Iivula-Ithana was born in Uukwandongo, Omusati Region. [http://www.parliament.gov.na/ims/pub/biodatadetail.asp?e=66&i=498 Profile at Namibian Parliament website] .] She was active in the SWAPO Youth League [http://www.klausdierks.com/Biographies/Biographies_I.htm Biography at klausdierks.com] .] and was in exile from 1974 to 1989; she became Secretary of the SWAPO Women's Council in 1980. Immediately prior to independence, she was a SWAPO member of the Constituent Assembly, which was in place from November 1989 to March 1990, [ [http://www.parliament.gov.na/ims/pub/getindivs.asp?e=65&en=Constituent%20Assembly%20of%20Namibia%20November%201989%20-%20March%201990 List of members of the Constituent Assembly] , parliament.gov.na.] and since independence in March 1990 she has been a member of the National Assembly of Namibia. She was Deputy Minister of Wildlife, Conservation and Tourism from 1990 to 1991, Minister of Youth and Sport from 1991 to 1996, and Minister of Lands, Resettlement and Rehabilitation from 1996 to 2001."Namibia: President appoints ruling party secretary-general new land minister", Nampa (nl.newsbank.com), January 26, 2001.] She was moved from the latter position to that of Attorney-General on January 26 2001. In March 2005, when President Hifikepunye Pohamba took office, she was appointed to the additional post of Minister of Justice. [Lindsay Dentlinger, [http://www.namibian.com.na/2005/April/national/05A73115BE.html "Justice Minister Iivula-Ithana cracks the whip"] , "The Namibian", April 13, 2005.]

At SWAPO's August 2002 congress, Iivula-Ithana placed 23rd in the election for the Central Committee, receiving 310 votes. [ [http://www.namibian.com.na/2002/august/news/027EBA9751.html "The ruling party's new Central Committee"] , "The Namibian", August 27, 2002.] She was elected as Secretary-General of SWAPO at the party's November 2007 congress, becoming the first woman to hold that position. [ [http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2231490,00.html "Namibia: Pohamba for 2009 polls"] , Sapa (News24.com), December 4, 2007.] On this occasion it was also decided that the post of Secretary-General would become a full-time salaried position, [Brigitte Weidlich, [http://www.namibian.com.na/2007/December/national/07D1281355.html "A title for Nujoma, brickbats for media"] , "The Namibian", December 3, 2007.] and consequently it was expected that Iivula-Ithana would leave her posts of Justice Minister and Attorney-General at the time of the next cabinet reshuffle. [Gwen Lister, [http://www.namibian.com.na/2008/January/columns/08DDA3E1C0.html "Political Perspective"] , "The Namibian", January 11, 2008.] However, she remained in all three posts by the time of a meeting of the SWAPO Central Committee in early August 2008. It was reported that there were internal SWAPO disagreements at this meeting regarding the issue of Iivula-Ithana's multiple jobs, with President Pohamba wanting to remove Iivula-Ithana from her Cabinet posts in accordance with the SWAPO resolution on making the Secretary-General's job full-time, while former President Sam Nujoma's supporters wanted her to remain in all of her posts and opposed implementing the resolution. [Brigitte Weidlich and Christof Maletsky, [http://www.namibian.com.na/2008/August/national/081C36338E.html "Standoff in Swapo"] , "The Namibian", August 4, 2008.]

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