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28/05/2021 'My work speaks for itself' - The Namibian My work speaks for itself' News - National | 2021-05-18 Page no: 1 by Sonja Smith PHOTO: Contributed IN 2016, Grade 12 pupil Patience Masua won a school debating competition – a victory which won her a trip and ticket to Germany. However, she chose to stay in Namibia to complete her matric exams. Five years later she was named Namibia's youngest member of parliament (MP) at the age of 22. Carola Hornickel, a former teacher at Delta Secondary School, says the young MP was “a pleasure to teach”. https://www.namibian.com.na/101736/read/My-work-speaks-for-itself 1/4 28/05/2021 'My work speaks for itself' - The Namibian “She always liked doing the right thing without being a boring goody-goody. Pleasant to work with, always with a bit of mischief, but always correct,” says Hornickel. She says Masua loved motivating her peers at school. Masua made history in Namibia last month when president Hage Geingob appointed her to the National Assembly, the country's top lawmaking house. She joins a list of young women parliamentarians that includes deputy information minister Emma Theofilus (25), Inna Hengari (25) of the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) and Utaara Mootu (25) of the Landless People's Movement (LPM). Masua last month told The Namibian her work and record in student activism speaks for itself. “I do not need to justify why the decision by the appointing authority was the correct one. I am a young lawyer who has worked in student activism and international student politics – from the student representative council (SRC) to the Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso) to the Southern African Development Community to the Commonwealth, to being one of the drafters of the African youth's position on climate change, and championing the call to free the people of western Sahara,” she said. ROOTS Born at Gobabis to a Tswana mother and coloured father, Masua, also known as 'Tisha', was raised in an extended family. It was her strict mother who taught her to be thick-skinned, she said. Biologically, Masua has four sisters and two brothers. Her older sister, Indira, says Masua has always been a “smart, ambitious, thoughtful and brutally honest person”. “She's someone who knows what she wants and works hard to achieve it,” Indira says. “She has always been an alpha female. Leadership comes naturally to her and her gift of speaking draws people in even more. I believe she is a sign of hope for this country and that we should embrace it,” she says. Masua was educated in Windhoek, spending much of her school years in hostels. She started off at Kleine Professor College, and went on to Suiderhof Primary School, before enrolling at Delta Secondary School for high school until 2016. It was at Delta that she got her first taste of leadership. She was the deputy head girl and president of the debating society. Masua excelled in matric, obtaining 48 points, and registered for a law degree at the University of Namibia (Unam) in 2017. https://www.namibian.com.na/101736/read/My-work-speaks-for-itself 2/4 28/05/2021 'My work speaks for itself' - The Namibian While at university, and in between volunteering and internships, Masua took up positions in the SRC at the end of her first year. At the end of her second year, she ran for Unam's speaker of parliament and won. “In my final year I moved to the ranks of Nanso, where I served as secretary general. I also served in the Commonwealth Student Association as the regional working coordinator, and as country director for the Southern African Youth Forum,” she said. Masua said she would champion “transformative youth empowerment”. “It is one thing to have a youth agenda championed on behalf of the youth, but when someone who is young and directly affected by the laws is part of that process, that representation is much more impactful,” she said. Masua's best friend, Ester Shitana, describes her as hard-working, confident, resilient and fun to be around. Shitana and Masua met in 2016 at an event hosted by first lady Monica Geingos. “We met again during my first year at varsity. We became debating partners, and from there we developed a close relationship,” she says. Shitana says Masua is first to celebrate the achievements of others. PROXIMITY TO POWER Masua's appointment has elicited criticism, mostly from the Swapo Party Youth League (Spyl). While some see it as progressive, others see it as a reward for Nanso youth leaders who supported the president's campaign. The Nanso leadership, including Masua, have been pro-Geingob since 2016, unlike the reign of former Nanso secretary general Dimbulukeni Nauyoma, now a member of Affirmative Repositioning, who was seen by some as 'radical'. Geingob has appointed several other Nanso leaders, including Theofilus, who was appointed as deputy minister of information and communication technology. In 2019, Geingob appointed then Nanso president Ester Simon to serve on the presidential High-Level Panel on the Namibian Economy, and former Nanso leader Pendapala Taapopi has joined Swapo's communication department. Masua has been a vocal supporter of Geingob on social media. “I don't think my national pride can get any more than this! The president is carrying massive weight on his shoulders and he is handling this ship by putting every Namibian first. We are led,” she said on Twitter in April last year. Spyl deputy secretary Christine Haindaka was last month quoted by Namibian Sun as saying: “When you undermine your own structure, what's the point of having structures?” https://www.namibian.com.na/101736/read/My-work-speaks-for-itself 3/4 28/05/2021 'My work speaks for itself' - The Namibian “We are always at the forefront to make sure things are done in the right way. We believe that the Swapo Party is the party that grooms cadres from pioneers to seniors.” During an appearance on The Namibian's online discussion platform 'The Conversation', Monica Geingos said she was aware of people claiming Masua was appointed because she volunteered in the Office of the First Lady in 2016. Geingos said it is disrespectful to think young women only get positions if they are close to a person of influence or have slept with people in influential positions. “I found out about the appointment after she had been informed of it, and just before the news hit the public domain. How do I influence an appointment if I only found out that way? It is incredibly disrespectful towards these young women to try and take away what they have managed to achieve,” the first lady said. 'PASSIONATE, NOT RADICAL' Masua has shown a keen interest in international relations and has publicly also lobbied for access to education, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. “There is a reason why most students are full-time, particularly those from peri-urban and rural areas. Online learning is a luxury to which the majority of students do not have access,” she said on social media last year. Masua told The Namibian she does not like the word 'radical', but prefers 'passionate'. “Radical is not the correct word. I am passionate about access to quality education, particularly higher education, and small and medium enterprise and trade development, as well as tackling youth unemployment,” she said. Another issue close to her heart is improved access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information. “This reduces health risks. More access to SRH information helps curb unwanted pregnancies and empowers women and girls,” she said. https://www.namibian.com.na/101736/read/My-work-speaks-for-itself 4/4.

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