Petrina Namutenya Haingura (born 27 July 1959 in

Rundu Rundu is the capital and the largest city of the Kavango-East Region in northern Namibia. It lies on the border with Angola on the banks of the Kavango River, about above sea level. Rundu's population is growing rapidly. The 2001 census counted ...

Okavango Region Kavango (before 1998: Okavango) was one of the thirteen regions of Namibia until it was split into the Kavango East and Kavango West Regions in 2013. Its capital was Rundu. In the north, Kavango bordered the Cuando Cubango Province of Angola, and ...

) is a

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

n politician. Haingura is a member of

SWAPO The South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO ; , SWAVO; , SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia (formerly South West Africa). Founded in 1960, it has been ...

, and she holds a seat in the

National Assembly of Namibia The National Assembly is the lower chamber of Namibia's bicameral Parliament. Its laws must be approved by the National Council, the upper house. Since 2014, it has a total of 104 members. 96 members are directly elected through a system of cl ...

since 2005. She grew up in a SWAPO-supporting household and has been a part of the movement since 1980. At the time of her election to the National Assembly, Haingura was chosen as the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services. She has also been involved in the SWAPO Party Women's Council. Haingura earned a certificate in Nursing from Onandjokwe Lutheran Medical Training School in 1980, a diploma in nursing from Oshakati Nursing College in 1984, a diploma in midwifery from Windhoek Nursing College in 1985, an advanced diploma in Health Promotion and Diagnostics from the

University of Namibia The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, and the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992. Background UNAM comprises the following fac ...

in 1992, a diploma in Community Health at the African Medical and Research Foundation in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

and a master's degree in Community Health from the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

. Petrina Haingura is the widow of fellow SWAPO politician and activist

Ambrosius Haingura Ambrosius Hamutenya Haingura (30 June 1957 – 21 September 2000) was a Namibian activist and politician. A member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), he was an internal activist during the Namibian War of Independence. Followin ...

. He died in 2010.

References

1959 births Living people Members of the National Assembly (Namibia) People from Kavango Region University of Namibia alumni Alumni of the University of Liverpool Namibian expatriates in the United Kingdom Namibian expatriates in Kenya SWAPO politicians 21st-century Namibian women politicians 21st-century Namibian politicians Women members of the National Assembly (Namibia) {{Namibia-politician-stub