THE first black Namibian nurse, Matron Hulda Kamboi Shipanga, died in the Windhoek Central Hospital on Monday. Matron Shipanga completed primary school at St Barnabas. She was then sent to Stoffberg High School in South Africa where she completed high school and studied to become a teacher.
Although she realised that teaching was not her calling, she completed her studies and enrolled at Baragwanath Hospital to train as a staff nurse. After working at the old location hospital for two years, she went to King Edward Hospital in Durban where she qualified as a midwife. After a few years, she went to the UK and qualified in various nursing areas including theatre, paediatrics and orthopaedics. Although she was the highest qualified nurse in the country, the fact that she was black prevented her from being promoted to matron. Shortly before Independence she was eventually promoted. Although she had reached pensionable age at Independence, a few years later the Founding Father appointed her as Special Adviser to the Minister of Health. She served under former health ministers Dr Libertina Amathila and Dr Nickey Iyambo. She retired and went to live in the Aminuis reserve until a few weeks ago when she was admitted to the Windhoek Central Hospital. She will be laid to rest at the Old Location Cemetery tomorrow morning.
