Gaudentia Kröhne: From Tses Ghettos to Parliament

2025-04-30

BY STEVEN KLUKOWSKI

KEETMANSHOOP – “I was lifted up by God from being a village girl, growing up in a corrugated iron-sheet house in Tses, and after relocating to Keetmanshoop, chosen from the dusty streets of Tseiblaagte for greater heights.”

This is the heartfelt sentiment of Gaudentia Kröhne, the former Keetmanshoop mayor and now parliamentarian on the ruling Swapo Party’s ticket.

She serves as deputy minister of industries, mines and energy.

Recently, New Era’s Steven Klukowski sat down with Kröhne to zoom in on her journey. It is nothing short of inspirational.

“My appointment as deputy minister of industries, mines and energy in March 2025 by Her Excellency President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was both humbling and profoundly affirming. Upon receiving the call, I immediately praised God and expressed my gratitude to the President for recognising my potential, and entrusting me with such an important portfolio,” she said with a sense of deep humility.

Taking us down memory lane, she noted that she was born in Windhoek and raised in Tses, a small, dusty village in the Kharas region.

It is there where her academic journey started. She continued her studies in Gibeon, and later Keetmanshoop.  

These places shaped her values, worldview and unwavering connection to the southern part of the country.

Kröhne is no newcomer in the political arena. Albeit at a small scale, her activism was first sparked in 1988 as a tender 16-year-old who was not going to take the backseat while the rest of  erstwhile South-West Africa (now Namibia) was suffering under the yoke of the repugnant apartheid South African regime.

She vividly remembers the turbulent days of the 1988 student strike against Bantu education in Gibeon.

“That formative experience ignited a lifelong passion in me for activism, justice and national unity,” she stressed. 

Kröhne added: “I continued my political path in Keetmanshoop, gradually rising through the ranks of the Swapo Party, where I have served in every structure of the party – from section to branch, district, region and ultimately the Central Committee”.

She was mayor of Keetmanshoop from 2015 to 2020, and again an ordinary councillor in the municipality until March 2025.

“Before joining the public sector, I worked for the Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union in the capacity of regional coordinator, where I had been exposed to critical issues facing workers across the transport and security industries. That gave me valuable experience in labour relations, worker education and organisational leadership,” said Kröhne. 

This period sharpened her understanding of grassroots’ realities, and further reinforced her commitment to justice, fair labour practices and social dialogue.

These principles continue to guide her leadership journey.

“From 2010, I worked for over a decade in the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, focusing on community upliftment, gender justice and poverty eradication initiatives,” she continued.As deputy minister, she will commit herself to advancing sustainable and inclusive access to energy, promoting local beneficiation in the mining sector, and aligning national policies with both Namibia’s national development goals and global environmental commitments. 

“I am especially passionate about creating pathways for youth and women to thrive in the energy and extractive industries,” she enthused.

Kröhne is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

She possesses diplomas in labour studies as well as entrepreneurship and new venture management. 

–[email protected]

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