Monica Nashandi
Encyclopedia
Monica Nashandi is a Namibia
n former diplomat and politician. Nashandi was Namibia's ambassador to Scandinavia
n countries as well as the former High Commissioner
to the United Kingdom. Nashandi was removed from the SWAPO list
for the 2009 general election because she had not registered to vote, a requirement under Namibian law.
, a South Africa
n airborne attack on Namibians across the border in Angola
. She later received military training and joined the People's Liberation Army of Namibia
(PLAN), SWAPO's armed wing during the Namibian War of Independence
. Nashandi graduated with a Diploma in Youth and Development from University of Zambia
in 1983 and earned a Masters Degree in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Westminster
in 2002 while on a diplomatic posting.
prior to her appointment to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Under-Secretary for Political and Economic Affairs. From 1995-1999, she was Namibia's ambassador to Sweden
, Norway
, Denmark
, Finland
and Iceland
. From 1999-2005, she became her country's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
and Ireland
.
Nashandi has been the Acting Non-Executive Chairman of the Board at Trustco Group Holdings Limited since 2006. Trustco Group Holdings is a publicly traded company which provides micro-insurance and financial services. In November 2007, Nashandi was named to the board of directors of Africon, a Namibian engineering firm. At the time of her appointment, she was the only female on the board.
as one of President Hifikepunye Pohamba
's ten personal nominations to that list. Because of the Public Service Act which states that public employees must either use vacation time or resign in order to get time off to run for public office, she was forced to resign from her position as Deputy Executive Director in the State House in order to run for the National Assembly. Nashandi had no vacation time to use and thus had to resign, but she was nearly guaranteed a place in the National Assembly due to her comfortable position on the SWAPO list.
A month prior to the elections, Nashandi was removed from the SWAPO list when the Electoral Commission of Namibia discovered that Nashandi was not in possession of a valid voter's card and thus not a registered voter, a necessary condition to qualify for election to the National Assembly. Priscilla Beukes
, at that time mayor of Mariental
, took her place. Days after the removal, the former ambassador called her removal a "technical oversight"; she had not registered to vote in the 2004 general election
because she was serving as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom at the time, and foreign missions did not conduct voter's registrations. It was widely expected that Nashandi would register to vote in the 2009 election and be appointed as one of the presidential additional six nominees for the National Assembly, but this did not occur.
. Her daughter, Anna Svetlana Nashandi, who was born in 1984 while Nashandi was in exile in Angola, won the 2006 Miss Namibia beauty pageant competition at the Windhoek Country Club Resort
.
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 former diplomat and politician. Nashandi was Namibia's ambassador to Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n countries as well as the former High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to the United Kingdom. Nashandi was removed from the SWAPO list
Electoral list
An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election to a post, usually in proportional election systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party or can constitute a group of independent candidates...
for the 2009 general election because she had not registered to vote, a requirement under Namibian law.
Early life and education
Nashandi was born on 12 October 1959 in the village of Ompundja in Oshana Region. As a refugee in 1978, she survived the Cassinga MassacreBattle of Cassinga
The Battle of Cassinga, Cassinga Raid or Kassinga Massacre was a controversial South African airborne attack on a South West Africa People's Organization refugee camp and military base at the former town of Cassinga, Angola on 4 May 1978...
, a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n airborne attack on Namibians across the border in 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...
. She later received military training and joined the People's Liberation Army of Namibia
People's Liberation Army of Namibia
The People's Liberation Army of Namibia was the active military wing of the South West Africa People's Organization during the Namibian War of Independence. It sought independence for the territory from South African rule. PLAN launched its first attack on the South African military at...
(PLAN), SWAPO's armed wing during the Namibian War of Independence
Namibian War of Independence
See also South African Border War.The Namibian War of Independence, also known as the South African Border War, which lasted from 1966 to 1988, was a guerrilla war, which the nationalist South-West Africa People's Organization and others, fought against the apartheid government in South...
. Nashandi graduated with a Diploma in Youth and Development from University of Zambia
University of Zambia
The University of Zambia is Zambia's largest university, founded in 1966. It has a student population of about 10,000.-Academics:The University of Zambia is divided into the following faculties:*School of Agricultural Sciences *School of Engineering...
in 1983 and earned a Masters Degree in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Westminster
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
in 2002 while on a diplomatic posting.
Career
Following Namibia's independence in 1990, Nashandi served as Deputy Chief of Protocol in the State House of NamibiaState House of Namibia
The State House of the Republic of Namibia is the administrative capital of Namibia, as well the official residence of the President of Namibia. Located in the Auasblick suburb of Windhoek, the State House was constructed by Mansudae Overseas Projects of North Korea from September 2002 to March...
prior to her appointment to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Under-Secretary for Political and Economic Affairs. From 1995-1999, she was Namibia's ambassador to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. From 1999-2005, she became her country's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Nashandi has been the Acting Non-Executive Chairman of the Board at Trustco Group Holdings Limited since 2006. Trustco Group Holdings is a publicly traded company which provides micro-insurance and financial services. In November 2007, Nashandi was named to the board of directors of Africon, a Namibian engineering firm. At the time of her appointment, she was the only female on the board.
Removal from party list
At the September 2009 SWAPO party conference, Nashandi was placed 30th on the SWAPO party list for the coming elections for 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...
as one of President Hifikepunye Pohamba
Hifikepunye Pohamba
Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba is the second and current President of Namibia. He won the 2004 and 2009 presidential elections overwhelmingly as the candidate of the South West Africa People's Organisation ruling party, taking office in March 2005. He has also been the President of SWAPO since...
's ten personal nominations to that list. Because of the Public Service Act which states that public employees must either use vacation time or resign in order to get time off to run for public office, she was forced to resign from her position as Deputy Executive Director in the State House in order to run for the National Assembly. Nashandi had no vacation time to use and thus had to resign, but she was nearly guaranteed a place in the National Assembly due to her comfortable position on the SWAPO list.
A month prior to the elections, Nashandi was removed from the SWAPO list when the Electoral Commission of Namibia discovered that Nashandi was not in possession of a valid voter's card and thus not a registered voter, a necessary condition to qualify for election to the National Assembly. Priscilla Beukes
Priscilla Beukes
Priscilla Beukes is a Namibian politician. A member of SWAPO, Beukes was elected to the National Assembly of Namibia in 2010. She was subsequently appointed to the cabinet as Deputy Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Energy Development behind Jerry Ekandjo. Beukes was previously...
, at that time mayor of Mariental
Mariental, Namibia
Mariental is a town of 10,000 inhabitants in south-central Namibia, lying on the B1 national road 145 miles north of Keetmanshoop and 170 miles southeast of Windhoek. It lies at an elevation of 3,576 feet . Mariental is connected to the TransNamib railway line from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop...
, took her place. Days after the removal, the former ambassador called her removal a "technical oversight"; she had not registered to vote in the 2004 general election
Namibian general election, 2004
General elections were held in Namibia on 15 and 16 November 2004 to elect the President and National Assembly. The National Assembly election resulted in a landslide win for SWAPO, which won 55 of the 78 seats with over 75% of the vote. SWAPO's candidate for president, Hifikepunye Pohamba, won the...
because she was serving as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom at the time, and foreign missions did not conduct voter's registrations. It was widely expected that Nashandi would register to vote in the 2009 election and be appointed as one of the presidential additional six nominees for the National Assembly, but this did not occur.
Private life
Nashandi is married to a lieutenant colonel in the Namibian Defence Force, who is based in OtaviOtavi
Otavi is a town of 4,000 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region of central Namibia. It is the district capital of the Otavi electoral constituency. Most of the area is dolomitic and the district was in the past renowned for its mineral wealth...
. Her daughter, Anna Svetlana Nashandi, who was born in 1984 while Nashandi was in exile in Angola, won the 2006 Miss Namibia beauty pageant competition at the Windhoek Country Club Resort
Windhoek Country Club Resort
The Windhoek Country Club Resort is a multi-use resort outside of Windhoek, Namibia owned by Legacy Hotels and Resorts International. The Resort was opened in May 1995 and was home to the 1995 Miss Universe Pageant. The resort's golf course is home to the yearly Bank Windhoek Namibian Open Golf...
.