Ida Jimmy ǃHa-Eiros (1945–2024) was 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 independence activist and

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 ...

politician. She is considered a national heroine of Namibia. Jimmy was born on 16 November 1945 in

Lüderitz Lüderitz is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It lies on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island. Lüderitz had a population of 16,125 people in 2023. Th ...

South West Africa South West Africa was a territory under Union of South Africa, South African administration from 1915 to 1990. Renamed ''Namibia'' by the United Nations in 1968, Independence of Namibia, it became independent under this name on 21 March 1990. ...

Activism

She became a

member in 1972 and became chairperson of the SWAPO Women Council in 1977. At that time she worked for a fishing company. She lost her job for her activism and was detained several times. Jimmy served a 5 months, 3 weeks prison sentence in

Gobabis Gobabis (, ) is a town in eastern Namibia. It is the regional capital of the Omaheke Region, and the district capital of the Gobabis electoral constituency. Gobabis is in the heart of the cattle farming area. It had a population of 33,418 peop ...

in 1978 and was then placed under

house arrest House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...

in Lüderitz for one year. In 1980 she was arrested under the Terrorism Act and sentenced to 7 years in prison. Upon appeal, the sentence was reduced to the minimum sentence under that act, 5 years. She gave birth in prison to her son Richard Konjeleni who initially was not allowed to be taken out, but was then taken to Jimmy's mother. When Richard Konjeleni died in 1983 she was not allowed to attend the funeral.

Political career

After Namibian independence Jimmy became councillor of Keetmanshoop constituency. She also became a member of SWAPO's central committee and

politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

Awards

For her activist work she received awards from Namibian presidents

Sam Nujoma Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma ( ; 12May 19298February 2025) was a Namibian revolutionary, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served three terms as the first president of Namibia, from 1990 to 2005. Nujoma was a founding member and t ...

and

Hifikepunye Pohamba Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba (born 18 August 1935) is a Namibian politician who served as the second president of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 21 March 2015. He won the 2004 Namibian presidential election, 2004 presidential election overwhelming ...

, as well as from

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n president

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

Death

Jimmy died on 3 April 2024, reportedly a poor woman. President

Nangolo Mbumba Nangolo Mbumba (born 15 August 1941) is a Namibian politician who was the fourth president of Namibia from 2024 to 2025. He became president after the death of Hage Geingob, under whom he had served as the second vice president from 2018 until h ...

ordered three days of national mourning in her honour for 19–21 April 2024 and directed that she receives a Hero's funeral. As a heroine, Jimmy-!Ha-Eiros was honoured with a 13-gun salute, during her burial. She was buried next to her husband Werner !Ha-Eirob on 20 April 2024 at the cemetery of farm Snip River, in the Bethanie district in

Berseba Constituency Berseba is a constituency in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia. The main settlement is Berseba. the constituency had 6,659 registered voters. Berseba constituency covers an area of and contains the Brukkaros Mountain, Brukkaros crater and the sett ...

(

ǁKaras Region The ǁKharas Region (pronounced , with a lateral click, former name Karas Region, without the click) is the southernmost, largest, and least densely populated of the 14 regions of Namibia; its capital is Keetmanshoop. The name assigned to the r ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jimmy, Ida 1945 births 2024 deaths People from Lüderitz SWAPO politicians National heroes of Namibia Namibian women activists