Katuutire Kaura

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Katuutire Kaura (born 3 February 1941) is a Namibian politician. He has been President of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) from 1998 to 2013 and was Leader of the official Opposition from 2000 to 2005.[1]

Kaura was born in Ombujondjupa, Otjozondjupa Region. He went into exile in the United States during the 1970s and taught at Nyack High School in Upper Nyack, New York from 1972 to 1978; he also taught at Rockland Community College from 1973 to 1975. During the same period, Kaura attended the universities of Long Island and Columbia.[1]

From 1989 to 1998, Kaura was Vice-President of the DTA.[1] After DTA President Mishake Muyongo expressed support for Caprivi secession in 1998, he was suspended from the DTA in August 1998,[2] and Kaura became DTA President.[1][3] He called for Muyongo, who had fled into exile, to be brought back to Namibia and put on trial.[3]

Immediately prior to independence, Kaura was a member of the Constituent Assembly, which was in place from November 1989 to March 1990.[4] He has served as a member of the National Assembly of Namibia since independence in 1990.[1] He ran for President of Namibia in 1999 and 2004, receiving 9.6 percent[5][6] and 5.12 percent of the vote, respectively.[6] Following the 1999 election, he became Leader of the Official Opposition (composed of the DTA and the United Democratic Front) in April 2000.[1]

In the 2013 DTA elective central committee meeting, McHenry Venaani defeated Kaura 96-52 and assumed the party presidency.[7] After publicly criticising Venaani's leadership, Kaura was brought before a DTA disciplinary committee and expelled from the party in February 2014. He also lost his seat in the National Assembly in the process which has been taken over by Venaani.[8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Profile at Namibian Parliament website.
  2. ↑ "Namibia: Opposition party reportedly suspends leader", SAPA news agency (nl.newsbank.com), August 25, 1998.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Namibia: Party leader says ex-opposition leader Muyongo should return, be tried", NBC Radio, Windhoek (nl.newsbank.com), October 31, 1998.
  4. ↑ List of members of the Constituent Assembly, parliament.gov.na.
  5. ↑ Political Parties of the World (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 428.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "ELECTION UPDATE 2004, NAMIBIA", EISA report, number 3, December 10, 2004, page 9.
  7. ↑ Immanuel, Shinovene (9 September 2013). "Youth take over at DTA". The Namibian. 
  8. ↑ Immanuel, Shinovene; Kahiurika, Ndanki (3 February 2014). "DTA boots out Kaura". The Namibian. 
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