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{{Short description|Namibian politician (1930–1998)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
'''Peter Mweshihange''' (5 May 1930 – 20 March 1998) was a [[Namibia]]n revolutionary and [[guerrilla]] leader, and after [[Namibian War of Independence|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.▼
| name = Peter Mweshihange
| image = Peter Mweshihange (1976).jpg
| alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption =
| office = [[List of ambassadors of Namibia to China|Ambassador to the People's Republic of China]]
| president = [[Sam Nujoma]]
| term_start = 1996
| term_end = 1998
| predecessor = ''position established''
| successor = Hopelong Uushona Ipinge
| office1 = [[Ministry of Defence (Namibia)|Minister of Defence]]
| president1 = Sam Nujoma
| term_start1 = 1990
| term_end1 = 1995
| predecessor1 = ''position established''
| successor1 = [[Philemon Malima]]
| birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|05|05}}
| birth_place = [[Epinga]], [[South West Africa]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1998|03|20|1930|05|05}}
| death_place = [[Windhoek]]
| nationality = Namibian
| party = [[SWAPO]]
| other_names =
| occupation = Politician and diplomat
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
}}
▲'''Peter Mweshihange''' (5 May 1930 – 20 March 1998) was a [[Namibia]]n revolutionary and [[guerrilla]] leader, and after [[Namibian War of Independence|Namibian independence]], a politician and diplomat. He was the Namibia's first [[Ministry of Defence (Namibia)|Minister of
==Early life==
Mweshihange was born as fifth of
|url = http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?title=Peter_Mweshihange%3A_Man_of_all_seasons_%281931_to_1998%29&articleid=29551
|title = Peter Mweshihange: Man of all seasons (1931 to 1998)
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|archivedate = 2012-03-31
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> He attended
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
==
=== 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 Salaam]] 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.<ref name="NE11"/>▼
▲The first years in exile Mweshihange furthered his education, studying towards a teacher's training certificate at
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.<ref name="NE09"/> In 1986 he became SWAPO's Secretary of Defense, responsible for PLAN's strategy to conduct the [[Namibian War of Independence|War of Independence]]. He was responsible for supervising PLAN operations during the decisive [[Battle of Cuito Cuanavale]].<ref name="NE11"/>
=== After Namibian independence ===
Mweshihange was a member of the SWAPO [[Central Committee]] and [[Politburo]] since the early days of the [[Ovamboland People's Congress]], of which he was a co-founder.<ref name="NE09"/>
At the time of independence in 1990, Mweshihange was [[1989 Namibian parliamentary election|elected]] as one of the [[members of the Constituent Assembly of Namibia]] with SWAPO, and appointed [[Ministry of Defence (Namibia)|Minister of He died on 20 March 1998 while on a home visit to [[Windhoek]].<ref name="NE11"/> Peter Mweshihange was given a [[state funeral]] at Windhoek's [[Old Location]] Cemetery, and later re-buried at the [[Heroes' Acre (Namibia)|Namibian National Heroes' Acre]]. [[Theo-Ben Gurirab]] remembered him as a culinary master and "connoisseur of good things in life".<ref name="NE09"/>
==References==
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[[Category:Namibian diplomats]]
[[Category:People from Ohangwena Region]]
[[Category:SWAPO politicians]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Namibia to China]]
[[Category:
[[Category:National heroes of Namibia]]
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