Penehupifo Pohamba, Namibia's former first lady, dies at 78

The late first lady is remembered for delivering babies in exile camps and her advocacy for maternal health.

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Penehupifo Pohamba died at a Windhoek hospital at age 78, leaving behind her husband, former president Hifikepunye Pohamba, and five children.
Former patients and colleagues recall her decades of service as a midwife during the liberation struggle and her humanitarian work as first lady.

Penehupifo Pohamba, the former first lady of Namibia, has died at the age of 78 at a hospital in Windhoek. According to The Namibian, she passed away on Saturday and left behind her husband, former president Hifikepunye Pohamba, and their five offspring. Her death marks the end of a life that spanned the liberation struggle, national politics, and community service in the Ohangwena region.

The Namibian reports that Pohamba’s early career was defined by her work as a midwife in Swapo exile camps. Matilde Kulo, a 44-year-old woman born in Angola, recalls that Pohamba cradled her as an infant in 1981 at a camp in Kwanza-Sul. Kulo’s mother named her Mboshono after Pohamba, a connection that Kulo says gave her a sense of pride. Although Kulo met Pohamba only twice, she was inspired by the former first lady’s commitment to ensuring women survived childbirth. Kulo noted that Pohamba pursued this humanitarian work with remarkable determination.

Former ambassador Tuliameni Kalomoh, a close friend, described the journey that led to Pohamba’s exile. Speaking to Desert FM, Kalomoh recounted how he and Pohamba left Namibia in 1974 and traveled on foot, by bus, and by train across Angola and Zambia. He remembered her as a politically aware young woman who disliked discrimination and was committed to fighting apartheid. Kalomoh noted that Pohamba received military training in Tanzania before returning to Zambia, where she delivered his first son in 1976.

After independence, Pohamba continued her medical work, studying midwifery in Jamaica before returning to care for Namibians in exile. She married Hifikepunye Pohamba in Angola in 1983. As first lady from 2005, she focused on HIV-AIDS awareness and established shelters for expectant mothers through the Ministry of Health and Social Services. After her husband retired in 2015, the couple settled in Okanghudi village, where Pohamba continued to assist vulnerable community members.

Swapo Secretary General Sophia Shaningwa described Pohamba as a modest figure who stayed connected to ordinary people despite her status. Shaningwa told Desert FM that Pohamba acted simply and performed her duties without displaying her rank, serving as a quiet, dedicated public servant. Her death is seen as a significant loss to the Swapo party and the nation.

Penehupifo Pohamba, Namibia’s former first lady and midwife, dies at 78

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