SA’s Madonsela heaps praise on Libertina

South Africa’s Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has hailed struggle icon and former Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Libertina Amathila, describing her as a “giant that came from humble beginnings to become one of the most inspirational leaders of her time”. Madonsela said last week at a Windhoek gathering that Amathila came from a disadvantaged background, as a heroine who defied the odds to become Namibia’s first black female medical doctor, after she completed her medical studies abroad. Madonsela said one cannot chronicle the story of Namibia’s struggle for liberation from the shackles of colonialism and apartheid without acknowledging the role played by Amathila, who was a woman of virtue. “Her selfless work as a health and education worker in Namibian refugee camps across Southern Africa during the struggle years is well documented,” she said. Amathila retired from a career in politics in 2010. She was serving as Deputy Prime Minister at the time. Amathila was born in Fransfontein in Kunene Region. Under the then 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. At Swapo’s 1969 Consultative Congress in Tanzania, she became Deputy Secretary for Health and Welfare on the party’s central committee and director of the women’s council. She later worked in Swapo refugee camps. Amathila was a Swapo member of the Constituent Assembly, which was operational from November 1989 to March 1990. She later became a member of the National Assembly. She was Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing from 1990 to 1996, when she was appointed Minister of Health and Social Services, serving in that position until she became Deputy Prime Minister in 2005. “With the likes of Dr Amathila still around, there is no reason for women leaders to struggle with issues of courage and integrity. We should be proud that today, we stand on the shoulders of giants such as her, and as such we are able to see far ahead,” Madonsela said. Comparing Amathila to other iconic women, she said: “the story of Dr Amathila bears resonance with those of several South African women that I grew looking up to. These include Charlotte Maxeke, Victoria Mxenge, Helen Joseph, Helen Suzman and Olive Schreiner, to mention but a few.” Urging women to take on the challenge of leadership, Madonsela said the price paid for not stepping up is much higher than the price paid for doing so. “As women leaders living in an inherently patriarchal society, there is no doubt in my mind that we face massive challenges. We are still waging war on gender inequality and sexism as it is. “However, we must admit that things are much better today than they were in years gone by. It had to take trailblazers such as Dr Amathila, who broke the cycle in the field of medicine drawing lessons from their journey; we can lead with courage and integrity.” WINDHOEK GORDON JOSEPH