Veteran educator dies

Veteran educator and politician Otillie Abrahams passed away on Sunday morning, a family member has confirmed. Abrahams passed away in her sleep at the Paramount Healthcare Centre in Windhoek after a short illness.
She became politically active while studying in Cape Town. She joined the South West Africa student body in 1952 and also later become involved in Cape Town student politics.
She was also active in a small guerrilla group, Yo-Chi-Chan, which attracted the attention of the then apartheid intelligence service.
Abrahams was also Swapo’s first secretary for education.
She was also a founding member of the Swapo Democrats, but left the party to join the Namibia Independence Party, which won a seat in the National Assembly during the country’s first elections in 1989.
Abrahams, who was 81, leaves behind three children and seven grandchildren. She was the sister of veteran politician, Nora Schimming-Chase, who also passed away recently.
Former deputy prime minister Dr Libertine Amathila expressed shock at the news of Abrahams’ death.
“She was very close to me; we lived together in Sweden. I am very sad, I am very sad.”
OGONE TLHAGE