The man that NOTHING could stop

The man who NOTHING could stop

By Moses Magadza

For Daniel Likius of Ongwediva, the gods could not have conspired more mischievously against and it is by sheer providence that he prevailed against the odds and succeeded in life.



Dr Daniel Likius with his PhD thesis

Breastfed by his maternal grandmother due to family strife; denied the opportunity to know his real father; claimed as a son by three different migrant workers; orphaned at the delicate age of seven; forced to run 10 kilometres each day to access primary school; compelled to live on government and individuals’ hand-outs; left to squat in a University of Namibia hostel; and struck down by illness in the middle of a promising academic programme, Likius appeared perfectly set up for dismal failure in life.

Yet, with remarkable single-mindedness, this Namibian boy whom even village amateur photographers would not look at twice, plodded on and rose like the proverbial phoenix. Today he stands tall as Namibia’s first and so far only PhD holder in Chemical Engineering.

In an exclusive, tear-jerking interview, Likius explained that his mother was unemployed but was married to an Angolan geologist with whom she settled in Tsumeb. She had two sons before befriending another Angolan migrant worker with whom she bore Likius, although she was still married to the geologist.

When the scandal came to light the geologist was outraged. In the ensuing strife, Likius’ mother went to her mother’s house in Akweenyanga Village, where she remained until Likius was born. Immediately after Likius was born, his mother went back to re-join her husband, leaving the new born baby with his grandmother.

“When I was born my grandmother was married and also had a few months old baby – my mother’s sibling – so I also fed on my grandmother’s breast milk. I therefore regarded my grandmother as my mother. My mother went back to her husband and gave birth to two other children with him,” Likius explained.

Shortly after Likius was born, a man claiming to be his father visited him at his grandmother’s house and named him Daniel Likius.

“He disappeared after giving me this name. He was an Angolan migrant worker who met my mother in Tsumeb. Later, my mother took me from my grandmother’s house and took me to Tsumeb, where she introduced me to another man she said was my father and left me at his house. I was about three years old and his name was Joseph,” he said, adding that for a few years he was moved between this Joseph’s house and where his mother stayed with her husband.

The young Likius was registered for Grade One at Opawa Primary School in Tsumeb as Joseph Likius. He recalled that his mother’s husband treated him badly and that he also did not feel safe in Joseph’s house.

“One day I went for the holiday to my grandmother’s house and decided not to return to Tsumeb. I was then registered at Oikango Combined School as Usebiu Likius.”

When Likius was seven years old his grandmother divorced and his mother died in a car accident.

“We moved to my grandmother’s father’s homestead where we were given a small field. I then went to Ohakwenyanga Combined School.”

Likius said shortly after his mother’s death, his grandmother dropped yet another bombshell. She told the then confused poor boy that his father was not Joseph. That honour went to another man named Daniel Shipwiisho.

“She explained that when I was small this Daniel frequently visited me and brought me milk. He was also a migrant worker from Angola who worked at Tsumeb. I decided to take the name of the man who reportedly showed some care. That is why today I am named Daniel Shipwiisho Likius to appreciate the little support I got from him.”

That man disappeared during Namibia’s liberation struggle.

“I grew up in total poverty. We just had a small field. We mainly lived on donations from fellow villagers. Occasionally some of my grandmother’s children who had moved to Walvis Bay would send a bit of money. The primary school was very far so I would walk about 10 kilometres to the school and another 10km to go back home.”

Propelled by a desire to become a scientist after reading about Isaac Newton, he soldiered on and would invariably arrive at the school earlier than everyone else. His determination caught the attention of his headmaster, the now late Moses Hatutali, who would sometimes give him a lift in his car.

When he completed Grade Eight with good marks his aunt who had noticed his potential and lived with her husband in Tsumeb, took him in.

“I registered at Otjikoto secondary School. She was strict and would not allow me to loiter in the township, which helped me remain focused on school. That strict discipline partly made me what I am today. I even got prizes as the best learner from Grade 9 all the way to Grade 12 and a scholarship from the school.”

However, just when everything seemed to be moving relatively smoothly for this candle in the wind, fate struck again. When he was in Grade 10 the Tsumeb Mine closed, his aunt’s husband lost his job and in the ensuing restructuring at the domestic level, Likius was kicked out of the house. After days of sleeping in the open he met a white man who allowed him to sleep in his cottage in exchange for cleaning the yard. Later he approached his school principal, a Mr Kandjii, and a social worker who arranged for him to go into the hostel.

“It was the first time that I started eating nice food; breakfast, lunch and supper.”

He remained in the hostel until he obtained 39 points out of a possible 42 in Grade 12, making him the best learner in his region. He got a government loan and registered for a BSc majoring in Chemistry and Biology at the University of Namibia. However, he could not afford accommodation so for much of first year he squatted in a UNAM hostel with a friend.

“I slept on the floor and I fell sick. I was taken unconscious to hospital. I don’t know what happened afterwards but I remember waking up three months later in the village with my grandmother crying over me. I re-joined the university just in time for final year examinations and passed.”



VISIONARY: Celebrated chemist Prof Enos Kiremire, Likius' mentor

With financial assistance from Prof Enos Kiremire who later became his mentor and support from UNAM, he remained at UNAM, graduating with a well-deserved upper second honours degree. He continued to help Kiremire in research around using metal-based compounds to treat malaria, while teaching for about two years at a high school in Windhoek. With a scholarship from PetroFund, he enrolled for an MSc in Chemistry at UNAM under Kiremire’s tutelage. After he obtained his Master’s degree, Kiremire recommended to the university that he be employed as a technologist. That came to pass in July 2008, albeit with a lot of resistance from certain quarters.

“With encouragement from Prof Kiremire I applied for a scholarship offered by the Japanese Government to study for a PhD in Chemical Engineering. I was invited to Pretoria for an interview with 13 other applicants. I was the only one selected.”

Supported also from the UNAM Staff Development Programme, Likius left for the prestigious Kogakuin University in Tokyo, Japan. Now he is back teaching at UNAM as the first Namibia to hold a PhD in Chemical Engineering with specialisation in nanotechnology and ready to help develop his country.

With tears coursing down his wizened face, Kiremire said he knew from the very first day that he met Likius that the young man was a potential academic lily on the Namibian landscape.

“He was not a genius but he had the right attitude towards learning. Identifying talent and nurturing it is not easy, but important. High marks alone in academia do not make a great person. Self-initiative, dedication and discipline are key ingredients for success. Likius would work with me in the laboratory even on Saturdays and Sundays,” Kiremire said.



PROUD MENTOR: Prof Enos Kiremire (left) with his 'disciple', Dr Daniel Likius, Namibia's academic lily.

Prof Percy Chimwamurombe a microbiologist who also taught Likius before he went to Japan, described him as “a hardworking student who was never under the illusion that he knew it all.”



AWESOME: L-R Prof Percy Chimwamurombe, Prof Kiremire, Dr Likius and journalist Moses Magadza

The 32-year old Likius regrets that his beloved grandmother died before he got his PhD. He says hard work, focus and an open mind are the keys to success.