Petrus Iilonga is a Namibia

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 politician, as well as a former trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

 leader and former political prisoner

Political prisoner

According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....

. A member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Iilonga has been the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare since his appointment in 2000.

Iilonga was born in Etilyasa-Ongandjera

Ongandjera

Ongandjera is settlement near Okahao in the Omusati Region northern Namibia. Historically part of Ovamboland, Ongandjera is also a traditional kingship. It is the birthplace of Sam Nujoma, the country's first President. In 1917, South Africa stripped the rulers of seven kingships, including...

, Omusati

Omusati

Omusati region is one of the thirteen regions of Namibia. Uutapi at Ombalantu forms a natural centre for this region. Mopani tree is the dominant species; the Makalani palms decrease rapidly westwards from the border with Oshana region...

. He received military training in Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

 and 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....

 from 1974 to 1976, after which he returned home to Namibia to fight in 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...

. He was imprisoned on Robben Island

Robben Island

Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...

 from 1978 until his release in 1985. After his release, Iilonga began mobilizing workers under the National Union of Namibian Workers. He served as Secretary General of the Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) from 1988-2000. He left Napwu in order to become Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism under 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...

. He has been a member of the National Assembly

National Assembly of Namibia

The National Assembly of Namibia is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral Parliament. It has a total of 78 members. 72 members are directly elected through a system of party-list proportional representation and serve five-year terms. Six additional members are appointed by the President.The...

 since 1995. Despite holding his position as Deputy Minister, he is a vocal critic of government labor policy, including the perceived favouring of landowners over farm labourers. In 1996, Iilonga received Namibia's Ongulumbashe Medal for bravery and long service. In a 2008 belated Heroes Day

Heroes' Day (Namibia)

Heroes' Day is a national public holiday in Namibia. It is recognized by the United Nations as Namibia Day. Celebrated annually on 26 August, the day commemorates the Namibian War of Independence which began on 26 August 1966 at Omugulugwombashe....

 speech, Iilonga criticized the newly-formed opposition Rally for Democracy and Progress

Rally for Democracy and Progress (Namibia)

The Rally for Democracy and Progress is an opposition political party in Namibia. It was launched on November 17 2007 under the leadership of Hidipo Hamutenya and Jesaya Nyamu, both former leading members of the ruling SWAPO party and cabinet ministers. Hamutenya had unsuccessfully sought the SWAPO...

 for alleged tribalism. In the same speech in Keetmanshoop

Keetmanshoop

Keetmanshoop is a city in Karas Region, southern Namibia, lying on the Trans-Namib Railway from Windhoek to Upington in South Africa. It is named after Johann Keetman, a German industrialist and founder of the city....

, the Deputy Minister said that SWAPO did not support opposition parties.