Major General

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

 Charles Dickson Ndaxu Phillip Namoloh (born 28 February, 1950) is 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 diplomat, politician and military figure. Beginning in 2005, Namoloh has been a member of 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...

, as well as the defense minister of the country.

Personal

Namoloh was born on 28 February, 1950, in Odibo, Ovamboland

Ovamboland

Ovamboland was the name given by English-speaking visitors to the land occupied by the Ovambo people in what is now northern Namibia and southern Angola...

 (now 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...

).

Career

Namoloh entered politics as a union organizer for the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) in 1971, in Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay , is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies...

 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...

. Temporarily fleeing to southern 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...

, Namoloh returned but was arrested in 1973 for pro-SWAPO activities. After spending time in prison, Namoloh was released to Kwanyama (Ovamboland) authorities to receive lashes for supporting SWAPO. Following the decolonization of Angola in 1974 following the Carnation Revolution

Carnation Revolution

The Carnation Revolution , also referred to as the 25 de Abril , was a military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance...

 in Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, Namoloh fled with other SWAPO Party Youth League

SWAPO Party Youth League

The SWAPO Party Youth League is the youth wing of the South West Africa People's Organization.In 2007, SPYL called protests against a visit by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe "reactionary and unpatriotic"....

 members through Angola to SWAPO bases 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....

. Rising quickly through 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), Namoloh became the chief of staff

Chief of Staff

The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...

 of Dimo Hamaambo

Dimo Hamaambo

Mweukefina Kulaumone Jerobeam Dimo Hamaambo was a Namibian military commander in both the Namibian War of Independence as a SWAPO member and in independent Namibia as a high level commander in the Namibia Defence Force....

 in 1979. He fought under the nom de guerre "Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh

Hồ Chí Minh , born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc, was a Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam...

". Namoloh helped establish the Namibian Defence Force

Military of Namibia

The Namibia Defence Force was created when South West Africa gained full independence from South Africa in 1989. The new constitution of Namibia defines the role of the military as "defending the territory and national interests."...

 following independence in 1990 and worked within the NDF 1990-95. In 1995, Namoloh was sent to Angola

Angolan-Namibian relations

Angolan-Namibian relations relate to the relations between the governments of the Republic of Angola and the Republic of Namibia.In 1999 Namibia signed a mutual defence pact with its northern neighbour Angola....

 as Namibia's representative. In 2003, the former PLAN commander was sent to New Delhi

New Delhi

New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

as Namibia's top diplomat in that country. He returned home in 2005 to be selected for the National Assembly and the Defense ministry position which he holds.