What is John Pandeni?
'''John Alphons Pandeni''' (30 July 1950 – 14 March 2008) was a [[Namibia|Namibian]] politician and trade unionist. He was a member of [[SWAPO]] and Minister of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development until his death in 2008. ==Early Life== Pandeni was born in the village of Omundjalala in the [[Omusati Region]] of northern [[Namibia]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Hofmann|first=Eberhard|date=17 March 2008|title=Pandeni tödlich verunglückt|language=German|trans-title=Pandeni dies in accident|newspaper=[[Allgemeine Zeitung (Namibia)|Allgemeine Zeitung]]|url=http://www.az.com.na/politik/pandeni-tdlich-verunglckt.64129.php|access-date=20 January 2022|archive-date=3 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303164022/http://www.az.com.na/politik/pandeni-tdlich-verunglckt.64129.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> After receiving military training in [[Tanzania]] and [[Angola]], Pandeni was arrested in 1978 for anti-[[apartheid]] activities with People's Liberation Army of Namibia guerrilla movement. After his arrest, Pandeni was imprisoned on [[Robben Island]] until 1985. After his release, Pandeni became the founding Secretary of the Namibia Food and Allied Workers Union until 1992. In that year he entered politics, serving as Regional Councillor for [[Soweto constituency]] in Katutura, [[Windhoek]]. A year later he became the Khomas Regional Governor until 2005. He later entered President [[Hifikepunye Pohamba]]'s first cabinet.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ekongo|first=John|date=20 March 2008|title=Namibia: Pandeni Was a Born Leader - Iilonga|newspaper=[[New Era (Namibia)|New Era]]|publisher=via allafrica.com|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200803200359.html}}</ref> == Legacy == Pandeni is buried alongside other former liberation leaders at Heroes' Acre, outside of [[Windhoek]]. [[File:JohnPandeniGrave.JPG|right|thumb|John Pandeni's gravesite at the national war memorial, [[Heroes' Acre (Namibia)|Heroes' Acre]]]] == References == {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Pandeni, John}} [[Category:1950 births]] [[Cat