17 Facts About Erkki Nghimtina

Erkki Nghimtina was born on 16 September 1947 and is a Namibian politician and former military officer in the Namibia Defence Force.

Erkki Nghimtina served in various cabinet roles from 2005 to 2020.

Erkki Nghimtina was born in Eembidi in Ovamboland in September 1947 to Meriam Shopati and Johannes Nghimtina.

Erkki Nghimtina went into exile with SWAPO in 1974 to Oshatotwa, Zambia.

Erkki Nghimtina returned to Namibia for the first time in 15 years in 1989.

Erkki Nghimtina entered the Namibia Defence Force with the rank of colonel and was appointed as assistant director of communications in the NDF and lasted in that post until retirement from active duty in 1995.

Erkki Nghimtina was selected to the position of deputy Minister of Defence.

In 1997, Erkki Nghimtina was promoted to minister in the defence ministry, a position he held until 2005.

In 2015, Erkki Nghimtina was appointed Namibia's Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation under president Hage Geingob.

Erkki Nghimtina served until 2020 when he was not reappointed to cabinet.

In 2001, while speaking in the Kavango Region as Minister of Defence, Erkki Nghimtina denounced and threatened Namibian collaborators with the Angolan rebel group UNITA while the Angolan Civil War was coming to a close.

Erkki Nghimtina said that the Military of Namibia would not allow people to die because collaborators were Namibians.

Erkki Nghimtina consistently opposed the Iraq War, slamming it both immediately prior to and a year into it as a move by powerful nations to impose their will on weaker ones.

In September 2008, Erkki Nghimtina was accused of aiming a firearm at a young relative and firing a shot in his direction.

Erkki Nghimtina allegedly did this because the teenager had joined the opposition Rally for Democracy and Progress.

Shortly thereafter, Erkki Nghimtina was interrogated by Namibian police concerning the shooting.

The next day, it was reported that Erkki Nghimtina had withdrawn his letter of resignation and returned to his post after prominent SWAPO leadership other than president Pohamba over-ruled Pohamba's dismissal.