/ 28 March 1999

NAMIBIAN CABINET RESHUFFLE

NAMIBIAN President Sam Nujoma transferred ruling Swapo party veteran Andimba Toivo ya Toivo from his post as mines and energy minister to labour minister on Friday. The reshuffle came as a surprise as Toivo (74) is the oldest member of cabinet and was tipped to retire before Namibia’s elections, due at the end of the year. Toivo, who was imprisoned on Robben Island with South African President Nelson Mandela from 1968 to 1984, has been mining minister since Namibia’s independence in 1990. He was replaced on Friday by his deputy Jesaya Nyamu. Nyamu has been a strong campaigner for the controversial Epupa hydropower project in northern Namibia.