Rina Venter
| Elizabeth "Rina" Venter | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Health | |
|
In office 1989–1994 |
|
| President | F. W. de Klerk |
| Preceded by | Willie van Niekerk |
| Succeeded by | Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 December 1938 |
Dr. Elizabeth "Rina" Venter (born 9 December 1938) was the Minister of National Health and Population Development of South Africa, from 1989 to 1994.
Venter graduated from Pretoria University and was a social worker for 20 years.
She served in the National Party government of F. W. de Klerk, and was the first woman in South African history to hold a cabinet post. During her time in office, Dr. Venter introduced the Tobacco Products Control Bill in 1993, which made written health warnings compulsory on tobacco products, regulated public smoking, and banned the sale of tobacco to persons under the age of 16. She received recognition for her work to curb tobacco use with an award by the American Cancer Society; ordered the desegregation of South African hospitals, albeit with less-than-optimal implementation; and formulated a detailed plan for responding to the then-nascent AIDS pandemic.
Venter retired from politics in 1994, and has criticized her successors for abandoning the comprehensive AIDS response plan which was formulated during Apartheid.
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