Ponhele ya France
Encyclopedia
Ponhele Andrew Mbidi ya France (8 January 1948 in Epuku
, Ohangwena Region
- 8 February 2010 in Windhoek
) was a Namibia
n politician and trade unionist. A long time member of SWAPO, ya France was a elected into the National Assembly of Namibia
from 2000-2005. He was head of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation
from 2005-2008.
, experiences that shaped him politically. In 1974 he decided to go into exile to join the liberation movement.
He received military training in Zambia
and in December 1974 was sent to Angola
to fight on the Northern Front. In 1976 he went to Leninist Komsomol Higher School in the Soviet Union
to take up political studies for one year. After his return to Angola he worked as radio announcer for the liberation station Voice of Namibia in Luanda
in 1977 and 1978. At the start of the 1980s he secured a scholarship and took up political science and philosophy at the Karl Marx University
in East Germany. He graduated in 1985 with a Masters degree.
in 2000.
In 2004 he was not re-elected to parliament, having been at place 71 on the party list for the 72 seat body. He took over the position of chairman of the Board of Directors of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation
in 2005. In 2008 he was fired at the initiative of the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Joel Kaapanda
. Ya France was member of SWAPO's Central Committee
and special advisor to the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs from its inception to his death.
Ponhele ya France was known for his opposition against worker's exploitation, and for his strong criticism of Namibian land reform, which in his opinion went far too slow. He advocated against the agreed "Willing buyer, willing seller" policy
or market reform measures adopted by the SWAPO government, both as president of NUNW and as member of Parliament.
Ya France was married with five children. He died from cancer
in February 2010 in Windhoek
.
Epuku
Epuku is a village in Ohangwena Region, Namibia. Located 30 km north of Ondangwa, the village was the site of a grave for seven People's Liberation Army of Namibia combatants who died in battle with the occupying South African Defence Force. It was also the birthplace of politician Ponhele ya...
, Ohangwena Region
Ohangwena Region
Ohangwena is one of the thirteen regions of Namibia. The northern and western parts of the region are the most densely populated of this essentially subsistence agricultural region in which small scale mahangu cultivation and the keeping of cattle form the predominant activities...
- 8 February 2010 in Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
) was a Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n politician and trade unionist. A long time member of SWAPO, ya France was a elected into the National Assembly of Namibia
National Assembly of Namibia
The National Assembly of Namibia is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It has a total of 78 members. 72 members are directly elected through a system of party-list proportional representation and serve five-year terms. Six additional members are appointed by the President.The...
from 2000-2005. He was head of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation
Namibian Broadcasting Corporation
The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation is the public broadcaster of Namibia.It was established in 1990, replacing the South West African Broadcasting Corporation.-History:...
from 2005-2008.
Early life and exile
Ya France attended primary school at Okatope and Onekwaya and secondary school at Odibo. His years at secondary school were interrupted by several periods of contract labour work in OranjemundOranjemund
Oranjemund is a town of 4,000 inhabitants situated in the extreme southwest of Namibia, on the northern bank of the Orange River mouth. It exists to service the diamond industry....
, experiences that shaped him politically. In 1974 he decided to go into exile to join the liberation movement.
He received military training in Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
and in December 1974 was sent to Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
to fight on the Northern Front. In 1976 he went to Leninist Komsomol Higher School in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to take up political studies for one year. After his return to Angola he worked as radio announcer for the liberation station Voice of Namibia in Luanda
Luanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
in 1977 and 1978. At the start of the 1980s he secured a scholarship and took up political science and philosophy at the Karl Marx University
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
in East Germany. He graduated in 1985 with a Masters degree.
Return to Namibia
In the late 1980s ya France worked in Angola in different management positions in SWAPO and the Pan African Youth Movement. Shortly before Namibian independence in March 1990 he returned from exile. He helped establish the new Ministry of Labour but in 1993 took over the presidency of the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW), Namibia's largest labour union. He stayed in that position until becoming a member of the National AssemblyNational Assembly of Namibia
The National Assembly of Namibia is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It has a total of 78 members. 72 members are directly elected through a system of party-list proportional representation and serve five-year terms. Six additional members are appointed by the President.The...
in 2000.
In 2004 he was not re-elected to parliament, having been at place 71 on the party list for the 72 seat body. He took over the position of chairman of the Board of Directors of the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation
Namibian Broadcasting Corporation
The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation is the public broadcaster of Namibia.It was established in 1990, replacing the South West African Broadcasting Corporation.-History:...
in 2005. In 2008 he was fired at the initiative of the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Joel Kaapanda
Joel Kaapanda
Joel N. Kaapanda is a Namibian politician. A member of the South West Africa People's Organization , Kaapanda has been a member of the National Assembly of Namibia since November 2002 and the Minister of Information and Communication Technology since March 2005...
. Ya France was member of SWAPO's Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
and special advisor to the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs from its inception to his death.
Ponhele ya France was known for his opposition against worker's exploitation, and for his strong criticism of Namibian land reform, which in his opinion went far too slow. He advocated against the agreed "Willing buyer, willing seller" policy
Land reform in Namibia
Land reform is an important political and economic topic in Namibia. It consists of two different strategies: resettlement, and transfer of commercially viable agricultural land. Resettlement is aimed at improving the lives of displaced or dispossessed previously disadvantaged Namibians...
or market reform measures adopted by the SWAPO government, both as president of NUNW and as member of Parliament.
Ya France was married with five children. He died from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in February 2010 in Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
.