For some time, I have followed Job Amupanda's political ascent in Namibia, observing his academic contributions and the rise of the Affirmative Repositioning movement.
I listened to his public speeches. I read his papers on Namibia's intervention in the Congo.
And, I paid attention to the AR movement.
Amupanda struck me as an okay intellectual. Not exceptional, but someone who, at least on paper, raised some valid critiques of the post-independence order.
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However, I never looked up to him, nor did I follow or admire him.
I simply regarded him as an academic voice worth engaging, and his political movement as one worth observing from a distance.
But whatever mild respect I had for his intellect evaporated the moment he dismissed those of us who oppose the killing and eating of dogs as "puppets of white people".
That moment singularly revealed more about him than I had been willing to see before: That behind the PhD and populist slogans lies a man unwilling or unable to engage with opposing ideas in good faith.
It unveiled a certain dichotomy at the heart of his political persona, showing why he is not the solution, but rather, part of the problem.
PERFORMATIVE HUMILITY
Job loves to tell us he is not like the elites, that he rejects their suits, their language, their detachment from the people.
He tries to wrap himself in the aura of a barefoot revolutionary, speaking of "our people" and "their culture" as if he is nothing more than one of "us".
Yet Job Amupanda is part of the elite. By any definition, and rightly so.
He has a PhD.
He earns a significant public salary. He owns expensive vehicles; he enjoys social status, intellectual authority and the kind of influence that many average Namibians could never dream of.
There is nothing wrong with that. Every society needs its elites.
The problem is that Job pretends not to be one, while still enjoying every privilege of the position.
It would be wrong to claim that Job or AR have done nothing for the community.
From helping build a school to occasional activism, they have at times shown up.
But the point isn't about showing up, it's about what showing up leads to.
A presence without a plan, a gesture without governance, or passion without execution, often leaves communities exactly where they started.
What many of us are asking is: Has the noise translated into structural gains, or has it been merely symbolic?
WHY IT MATTERS
Job is fond of saying he is opposed to the elites. But he ranks among the elite.
Importantly, being part of an elite carries responsibilities - to serve, to lead by example, and even to sacrifice.
This is underlined by the saying, "to whom much is given, much is expected".
What disillusions me most about Job is not that he is privileged but that he pretends not to be and, wittingly or unwittingly, uses the pain of the poor as a stage prop in his political theatre.
What disappoints me is his inability to engage critics without resorting to personal attacks.
What frustrates me is his tendency to hide behind "culture" and "our people" when challenged with difficult moral questions rather than facing them honestly.
WANNABE REVOLUTIONARIES
Africa has seen many of his kind before: Wannabe revolutionaries. Those who speak the language of struggle but practise the politics of populism.
Those who claim to hate or despise the elite while consolidating their own power and wealth.
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Those who uncritically romanticise tradition even when it perpetuates suffering.
Job Amupanda is not part of the solution. He is part of the problem.
He represents a politics of division, defensiveness and symbolism rather than a politics of service, honesty and substance.
We do not need another politician who performs humility and populism while silently enjoying the very privileges he condemns.
We need leaders who will stand up, who are honest about who they are and live up to the responsibility of being part of an elite: To serve, not to posture.
While I never idealised Job Amupanda, I did expect more from a person who purports to be a deep, or better, thinker.
Now I see him clearly: Not as a revolutionary, but as a cautionary tale.
Namibia deserves better.
- Jonathan Kariseb is an independent Namibian writer and a commentator on politics, leadership and civic life.
