Peter Vilho

Peter Hafeni Vilho (born 2 February 1962) is a Namibian politician and retired rear admiral who is a member of the Parliament of Namibia, a former Minister of Defence, and a former commander of the Namibian Navy. He was appointed the commander of the maritime wing of the Namibian Defence Force in 2002. In September 2017 he was appointed executive director of the Ministry of Defence. In March 2020, Namibian president Hage Geingob appointed Vilho as the Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs. Vilho served until his resignation in April 2021 after allegations of holding an undeclared bank account.

Early life and education Vilho joined SWAPO in exile in 1977 as a 15-year-old teenager. After independence of Namibia Vilho studied for an Advanced Course and Resource Management Course at Fort Benning from 1990 to 1992 as a Finance Officer, and in 1994 attended the Junior Staff and Command Course in Namibia. He attended the Naval Officers Formation Course in Brazil between 1995 and 1998 followed by an Advanced Course on Politics and Strategy at the National War College, Brazil. He holds a Master of Business Administration from the Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands.

Military career In 1981 Vilho joined the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN). After joining PLAN in 1981 for basic training he specialised as a combat engineer in 1982, by 1983 Vilho was an engineering instructor at the Tobias Hainyeko Training Centre, Lubango, Angola. In 1984 he was appointed an engineer company commander and anti-tank battery commander at the Northern Front and Striking Unit. With this appointment he also became a non-voting member of parliament.

On 6 April 2021 Vilho resigned due to holding an undeclared bank account in Hong Kong that is "allegedly linked to illicit proceeds". The resignation triggered a cabinet reshuffle in which Vilho was succeeded by Frans Kapofi. He also lost his seat in parliament. Geingob appointed Patience Masua in his stead.

Honours and decorations Order of the Eagle 3rd Class – Government of the Republic of Namibia

Navy Pioneers Medal – Namibian Navy Navy Cross Medal – Namibian Navy

Sacharia Medal – Namibian Navy

Ten Year service – Namibian Navy 750 Days at Sea Service Medal – Namibian Navy