Peter Mweshihange
Encyclopedia
Peter Mweshihange was a Namibia
n freedom fighter and guerrilla general, and after Namibian independence
politician and diplomat. He was Namibia's first Minister of Defense from 1990 to 1995, and first ambassador to the People's Republic of China
from 1996 until his death.
near the border with Angola
in former Ovamboland
, today Ohangwena Region
. In his childhood years he developed knowledge of the local flora
and considered himself to be a traditional healer, using his childhood friends as guinea pigs. He attended St Mary's Mission School at Odibo from the age of 11, and from the age of 14 he received training to become a teacher. He moved to Tsumeb
in 1946 and worked first as truck driver, then as Head of Transport Services at the South West Africa Native Labour Association (SWANLA), the colonial labour hire company of South-West Africa.
Mweshihange was arrested in Rundu
in 1954 on his first attempt to go into exile. He was not convicted but left South-West Africa soon afterwards to work as miner in Johannesburg
and as chef
for the French Consul General in Cape Town
. He joined the resistance movement there and followed Sam Nujoma
into Tanganyika
n exile in 1960.
in 1961 and 1962, and political science and ideology in Ghana
in 1963 and 1964. Together with Nujoma he managed SWAPO's administration and resistance strategy, attempting to intensify the struggle for independence. From this attempt emerged the start of armed guerrilla action against the South Africa
n occupiers, and in 1966 the Namibian War of Independence
started with a South African assault at Omugulugwombashe
in northern Namibia.
At that time, Mweshihange was a commander in the People's Liberation Army of Namibia
(PLAN), the armed wing of SWAPO. Within the party structure he rose to the position of Secretary of Internal Affairs in 1970 and subsequently went to the Soviet Union
to receive military training. In 1986 he became SWAPO's Secretary of Defense, responsible for PLAN's strategy to conduct the War of Independence
. His improvements influenced the decisive Battle of Cuito Cuanavale
which turned the armed independence struggle in SWAPO's favour.
and Politburo
since the early days of the Ovamboland People's Congress, of which he was a co-founder. At independence in 1990, Mweshihange was elected
as one of the members of the Constituent Assembly of Namibia
with SWAPO, and appointed Minister of Defense. In 1996, he became Namibia's first ambassador to the People's Republic of China
, a position he held until his death. He died on 20 March 1998 while on a home visit to Windhoek
.
Peter Mweshihange was given a state funeral
at Windhoek's Old Location
Cemetery, and later re-buried at the Namibian National Heroes' Acre. Theo-Ben Gurirab
remembered him as a culinary master and "connoisseur of good things in life".
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n freedom fighter and guerrilla general, and after Namibian independence
Namibian War of Independence
See also South African Border War.The Namibian War of Independence, also known as the South African Border War, which lasted from 1966 to 1988, was a guerrilla war, which the nationalist South-West Africa People's Organization and others, fought against the apartheid government in South...
politician and diplomat. He was Namibia's first Minister of Defense from 1990 to 1995, and first ambassador to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
from 1996 until his death.
Early life
Mweshihange was born as fifth of 25 children on 5 May 1930 in EpingaEpinga
Epinga is a village in Ohangwena Region, Namibia. It belongs to the Omundaungilo electoral constituency and is part of the former Ovamboland bantustan. Notable residents include military commanders Julius Shaambeni Shilongo Mnyika and Peter Mweshihange...
near the border with Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
in former Ovamboland
Ovamboland
Ovamboland was the name given by English-speaking visitors to the land occupied by the Ovambo people in what is now northern Namibia and southern Angola...
, today Ohangwena Region
Ohangwena Region
Ohangwena is one of the thirteen regions of Namibia. The northern and western parts of the region are the most densely populated of this essentially subsistence agricultural region in which small scale mahangu cultivation and the keeping of cattle form the predominant activities...
. In his childhood years he developed knowledge of the local flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and considered himself to be a traditional healer, using his childhood friends as guinea pigs. He attended St Mary's Mission School at Odibo from the age of 11, and from the age of 14 he received training to become a teacher. He moved to Tsumeb
Tsumeb
Tsumeb is a city of 15,000 inhabitants and the largest town in Oshikoto region in northern Namibia. Tsumeb is the home of the world-famous Tsumeb mine, and the "gateway to the north" of Namibia. It is the closest town to the Etosha National Park...
in 1946 and worked first as truck driver, then as Head of Transport Services at the South West Africa Native Labour Association (SWANLA), the colonial labour hire company of South-West Africa.
Mweshihange was arrested in Rundu
Rundu
Rundu is the capital of the Kavango Region, northern Namibia, on the border with Angola on the banks of the Okavango River about 1000 m above sea level. The place normally receives an annual average rainfall of , although in the 2010/2011 rainy season were measured.Rundu grows rapidly...
in 1954 on his first attempt to go into exile. He was not convicted but left South-West Africa soon afterwards to work as miner in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
and as chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
for the French Consul General in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. He joined the resistance movement there and followed Sam Nujoma
Sam Nujoma
Samuel Daniel Shafiishuna Nujoma is a Namibian politician who was the first President of Namibia from 1990 to 2005. He led the South-West Africa People's Organisation in its long struggle against South African rule and took office as President when Namibia obtained independence on 21 March 1990...
into Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
n exile in 1960.
Exile years
The first years in exile Mweshihange furthered his education, studying towards a teacher's training certificate at Kivukoni Training College in Dar es SalaamDar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
in 1961 and 1962, and political science and ideology in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
in 1963 and 1964. Together with Nujoma he managed SWAPO's administration and resistance strategy, attempting to intensify the struggle for independence. From this attempt emerged the start of armed guerrilla action against the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n occupiers, and in 1966 the Namibian War of Independence
Namibian War of Independence
See also South African Border War.The Namibian War of Independence, also known as the South African Border War, which lasted from 1966 to 1988, was a guerrilla war, which the nationalist South-West Africa People's Organization and others, fought against the apartheid government in South...
started with a South African assault at Omugulugwombashe
Omugulugwombashe
Omugulugwombashe is a settlement in the Tsandi electoral constituency in the Omusati Region of northern Namibia. The settlement features a clinic and a primary school. In Omugulugwombashe the Namibian struggle for independence started in 1966...
in northern Namibia.
At that time, Mweshihange was a commander in the People's Liberation Army of Namibia
People's Liberation Army of Namibia
The People's Liberation Army of Namibia was the active military wing of the South West Africa People's Organization during the Namibian War of Independence. It sought independence for the territory from South African rule. PLAN launched its first attack on the South African military at...
(PLAN), the armed wing of SWAPO. Within the party structure he rose to the position of Secretary of Internal Affairs in 1970 and subsequently went to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to receive military training. In 1986 he became SWAPO's Secretary of Defense, responsible for PLAN's strategy to conduct the War of Independence
Namibian War of Independence
See also South African Border War.The Namibian War of Independence, also known as the South African Border War, which lasted from 1966 to 1988, was a guerrilla war, which the nationalist South-West Africa People's Organization and others, fought against the apartheid government in South...
. His improvements influenced the decisive Battle of Cuito Cuanavale
Battle of Cuito Cuanavale
The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale in 1987/88 was an important episode in the Angolan Civil War . Between 9 September and 7 October 1987, the Angolan Army , in an attempt to finally subdue the Angolan insurgent movement UNITA in south-eastern Angola, was decisively repelled in a series of battles at the...
which turned the armed independence struggle in SWAPO's favour.
After Namibian independence
Mweshihange was a member of the SWAPO Central CommitteeCentral Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
and Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
since the early days of the Ovamboland People's Congress, of which he was a co-founder. At independence in 1990, Mweshihange was elected
Namibian parliamentary election, 1989
Parliamentary elections were held in Namibia between 7 and 11 November 1989. These elections were for the Constituent Assembly of Namibia, which, upon independence in March 1990, became the National Assembly of Namibia.-Background:...
as one of the members of the Constituent Assembly of Namibia
Members of the Constituent Assembly of Namibia
Below is a list of members of the Constituent Assembly of Namibia, which became the National Assembly of Namibia upon independence in March 1990. Individual members were selected by political parties voted for in the 1989 election, the first multi-racial, universal franchise elections in Namibian...
with SWAPO, and appointed Minister of Defense. In 1996, he became Namibia's first ambassador to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, a position he held until his death. He died on 20 March 1998 while on a home visit to Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
.
Peter Mweshihange was given a state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
at Windhoek's Old Location
Old Location
The Old Location was an area segregated for Black residents of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It was situated in the area of today's suburb Hochland Park....
Cemetery, and later re-buried at the Namibian National Heroes' Acre. Theo-Ben Gurirab
Theo-Ben Gurirab
Theo-Ben Gurirab is a Namibian politician who has been the Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia since 2005; previously he was Prime Minister of Namibia from August 27, 2002 to March 19, 2005.-Political career:...
remembered him as a culinary master and "connoisseur of good things in life".