Libertina Amathila

Libertina Inaviposa Amathila (née Appolus, born 10 December 1940)[1] is a Namibian physician and politician. She was the Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia from 2005 to 2010.[2]

The Honorable

Libertina Amathila
A photograph of Libertine Appolus Amathila, former Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia with the SchoolNet Namibia team at WSIS in Tunisia.
Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia
In office
2005–2010
PresidentHifikepunye Pohamba
Preceded byHendrik Witbooi
Succeeded byMarco Hausiku
Minister of Health and Social Services
In office
1996–2005
PresidentSam Nujoma
Preceded byNickey Iyambo
Succeeded byRichard Kamwi
Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing
In office
21 March 1990 – 1996
PresidentSam Nujoma
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byNickey Iyambo
Personal details
Born (1940-12-10) 10 December 1940
Fransfontein, Kunene Region
NationalityNamibian
Political partySWAPO
Spouse(s)Ben Amathila
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionMedical doctor

Early life

Amathila was born in Fransfontein, Kunene Region.[1][2] Under the SWAPO Nationhood Programme, she received a scholarship to study medicine in Poland and graduated from the Warsaw Medical Academy in 1969, becoming Namibia's first female doctor. She later worked in SWAPO refugee camps.[1]

Political career

At SWAPO's 1969 Consultative Congress in exile in Tanzania, Amathila became Deputy Secretary for Health and Welfare on the SWAPO Central Committee and Director of the SWAPO Women's Council. Immediately prior to independence, she was a SWAPO member of the Constituent Assembly, which was in place from November 1989 to March 1990,[1][3] and since independence in March 1990 she has been a member of the National Assembly of Namibia.[1][2] She was Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing from March 21, 1990[1] to September 12, 1996, at which point she became Minister of Health and Social Services,[1][4] serving in that position until becoming Deputy Prime Minister on March 21, 2005.[2] In September 1999, she was elected for a one-year term as Chairperson of the World Health Organization's Regional Committee for Africa, and on May 15, 2000 she elected as the President of the 53rd Session of the World Health Assembly.[5] She retired from politics on the 20th anniversary of Namibia's independence, on 21 March 2010.[6]

Awards and recognition

Amathila received the Ongulumbashe Medal for Bravery and Long Service in 1987,[1][2] and she was the 1991 recipient of the Nansen Refugee Award.[2] She received the tenth highest number of votes—363—in the election to the Central Committee of SWAPO at the party's August 2002 congress.[7]

In 2002 she named the street Brückenstrasse in Swakopmund after herself.[8]

Personal life

Amathila is married to fellow politician Ben Amathila.

References
  1. Profile of Amathila, klausdierks.com.
  2. Namibian parliament profile for Amathila.
  3. List of members of the Constituent Assembly, parliament.gov.na.
  4. "Sep 1996 - Government changes", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 42, September, 1996 Namibia, Page 41255.
  5. "NAMIBIAN MINISTER ELECTED PRESIDENT OF 53RD WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY" Archived 2007-06-11 at the Wayback Machine (press release), afro.who.int, May 17, 2000.
  6. Hillebrecht, Anna. "A servant of the people". The Namibian. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. "The ruling party's new Central Committee" Archived January 4, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, The Namibian, August 27, 2002.
  8. "Namibia: Minister Urges Swakopmund Residents to Accept Change", Maggi Bernard, AllAfrica.com, 12 December 2002
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