Libertina Amathila

The Honorable Libertina Amathila
Amathila in 2005
Deputy-Prime Minister of Namibia
In office March 2005 – March 2010
President	Hifikepunye Pohamba
Preceded by	Hendrik Witbooi
Succeeded by	Marco Hausiku
Minister of Health and Social Services
In office 1996–2005
President	Sam Nujoma
Preceded by	Nickey Iyambo
Succeeded by	Richard Kamwi
Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing
In office 21 March 1990 – 1996
President	Sam Nujoma
Preceded by	position established
Succeeded by	Nickey Iyambo
Personal details
Born	Libertina Inaviposa Appolus (1940-12-10) 10 December 1940 Fransfontein, Kunene Region
Nationality	Namibian
Political party	SWAPO
Spouse	Ben Amathila
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Medical doctor

Libertina Inaviposa Amathila (née Appolus, born 10 December 1940) is a Namibian physician and politician. She served as a member of the National Council and the National Assembly, and was the Deputy-Prime Minister of Namibia from March 2005 to March 2010.

Early life and education

Libertina Appolus was born in Fransfontein, Kunene Region. 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.

Amathila completed her secondary school in South Africa. In 1962, she went into exile and lived for some time in Tanzania, where she applied for, and received, a scholarship to study in Poland. In the 1960s, she completed a medical education in Poland, Sweden, and London. She also enrolled in a financial course for non-financial managers at Colombia University, US (1993); Advanced Executive Programme at UNISA, South Africa (1992); Diploma, Epidemiology and French in Bamako, Mali, (1980 – 1983); Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK (1977 – 1978); Postgraduate diploma in Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK (1972); M.B.Ch.B., and Swedish in Sweden (1975); M.B. Ch.B., Warsaw Medical academy in Poland (1962 – 1969); Senior Certificate at Wellington High School, Cape Town, South Africa (1955 – 1957); Otjiwarongo Primary School and Lutheran Mission Primary School at Fransfontien (1946 – 1955).

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 before independence, she was a SWAPO member of the Constituent Assembly, which was in place from November 1989 to March 1990, and since independence in March 1990, she has been a member of the National Assembly of Namibia. She was Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing from March 21, 1990, to September 12, 1996, at which point she became Minister of Health and Social Services, serving in that position until becoming Deputy-Prime Minister of Namibia on 21 March 2005.

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 was elected as the president of the 53rd Session of the World Health Assembly. 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.

She retired from politics on the 20th anniversary of Namibia's independence, on 21 March 2010.

Awards and recognition

Amathila received the Ongulumbashe Medal for Bravery and Long Service in 1987, and she was the 1991 recipient of the Nansen Refugee Award.

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

Personal life

Amathila is married to fellow politician Ben Amathila.