Henry ‘Henk’ Ferdinand Mudge: President
HENRY Ferdinand Mudge, or simply Henk Mudge as he is affectionately known, was born at Otjiwarongo on February 18, 1952. He went through high school in Windhoek and graduated as a civil engineer from the Stellenbosch University, South Africa, in 1973.

In 1978 Mudge followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Republican Party, which his father, Dirk Mudge, had just formed as a breakaway group from the National Party.

Mudge was a member of the Republican Party Youth League and went on to serve as the Vice Chairman of the Republican Party Youth League.

Between 1993 and 2003, Mudge was the Republican Party’s Regional Councillor for Windhoek West, although at that time the Republican Party was still a member of the DTA of Namibia. He also served on the Central Committee of the DTA during the same period.

When the Republican Party broke away from the DTA, Mudge first served as an Acting Leader of Republican Party before assuming the presidency months later.

During the 2004 Presidential election, Mudge came sixth out of seven candidates with nearly 16 000 votes. Subsequently he was elected as the only Republican Party member in the National Assembly. He remains a Member of Parliament.

Clara Margaretha Gowases: Chairperson
Clara Margaretha Gowases is a teacher by profession and was born on August 28, 1959 at Keetmanshoop. She ascended into political limelight at the Republican Party congress of 2004, where she was elected Vice Chairperson of the party. She became a full-time politician.

Later, she set off to organise the Republican Party for the 2007 by-elections in Nkurenkuru and Rundu Rural West.

The following year (2008), the Republican Party nominated her to stand for the position of Regional Councillor for Tobias Hainyeko constituency during that year’s by-elections.

The Republican Party has representatives on the Keetmans-hoop Municipal Council, Koes Village Council, Nkurenkuru Village Council, Aranos Village Council, City of Windhoek, Grootfontein Municipal Council and the Katima Mulilo Municipal Council.

Tartisius Gaeseb: Vice Chairperson
Tartisius Gaeseb developed passion for politics while a student at the then Academy in Windhoek, when students under the Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso) organised protests against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction.

Inspired by vibrant student leaders of the time, such as Ignatius Shixwameni, Gaeseb joined the Nanso movement.

Born on August 9, 1965 at Otjiwarongo, Gaeseb completed high school at Cornelius Goreseb High School. He studied public administration at the old Academy, the forerunner to the Polytechnic of Namibia.

Gaeseb led the Okahandja Municipality as a Chief Executive Officer for four years between 1998 and 2002.

He rejoined politics in 2005 joining the Republican Party as a political advisor to party President Henk Mudge.

He was later elected acting Secretary General of the Republican Party, and became the political head of the party. The last Republican Party congress, in September, elected Gaeseb to the position of Vice Chairperson of the Republican Party.

New Era