President says Hawala’s hero status was earned, not a favour
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah this weekend said her decision to confer national hero status on the late Lieutenant General (Rtd) Solomon Dumeni Hawala and grant him a state funeral was not done as a favour.
Speaking at Hawala’s funeral in Ongwediva on Saturday, Nandi-Ndaitwah told mourners that Hawala had made sacrifices not to achieve heroism, but to liberate his country.
“Those of you who listened to his life history as narrated on Friday at the memorial service, you will agree with me that it is not a favour that I conferred upon him the status of national hero and accorded him a state funeral. He made sacrifices not to become a hero, but to liberate his country,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
The retired military commander, who died on 11 August at the age of 89, just days before his 90th birthday, was remembered as a Namibian who stood firm during the most difficult times of the struggle against colonial and apartheid rule.
The president described Hawala as a devoted husband, father and comrade whose sacrifices were not for personal glory, but for the liberation and freedom of Namibia.
On Saturday, Nandi-Ndaitwah cited a biblical declaration in remembering his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
She hailed the former chief of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) as a towering figure of the liberation struggle whose dedication, patriotism and resilience will continue to guide Namibia’s journey toward unity and prosperity.
“The passing of Comrade Hawala is not only a loss to his immediate family; it is an irreplaceable void felt throughout our nation, especially within the very fabric of the Swapo party, which he joined in 1962, just two years after the party’s establishment,” she said.
The president explained that, while Hawala had been honoured as a national hero, his burial at Ongwediva rather than Heroes’ Acre was in accordance with his wishes to be laid to rest beside his parents.
“Government respects the wishes of the deceased, which, to a certain extent, is cultural. Yes, we are going to leave his body here today, but his revolutionary spirit will live on in us,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah further assured mourners that the struggle Hawala once waged for political freedom will continue in the form of economic emancipation. “Comrade Hawala, the struggle for economic emancipation will be fought to prosperity in the same way you fought for the independence of this country,” she said.
A soldier, father and comrade
Hawala, affectionately nicknamed 'Jesus', was born on 19 August 1935 at Efidilomulunga village near Ongwediva.
He went into exile in 1964 and trained in Tanzania, North Korea and the Soviet Union, later rising to become deputy commander of Swapo’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN).
After independence, he joined the NDF as a major-general and was promoted to lieutenant general in 2000, serving as chief of the defence force until his retirement in 2006.
His children, in a message read by Laimi Hawala on behalf of her siblings, said their father was a man of “good character and dignity.”
His eldest daughter, Emmy, described him as kind and family-oriented, while Naambo recalled how his advice, though sometimes firm, always came from love.
Other family members and comrades painted the picture of a man who was fair, honest, hard-working and deeply principled.
Liberation veteran Mwahafar Ndakolute Ndilula remembered one of his core lessons: “He taught us that subordinates must always be treated fairly and told the truth, however uncomfortable it might be.”
Record history
Former president Hifikepunye Pohamba, in a message delivered on his behalf by Oshana governor Hofni Iipinge at the state memorial on Friday, said Hawala’s leadership was pivotal in establishing and strengthening the NDF into a formidable entity of international standard.
“He participated in regional and international peacekeeping missions under the mandates of the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC),” he said. He described Hawala as a courageous, selfless and tenacious servant whose bravery and dedication to freedom, justice and peace will continue to inspire.
Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa described Hawala as “a towering revolutionary and fearless commander whose fire will remain unextinguished.”
Former chief of the NDF, Martin Shalli, urged the president to ensure the stories of heroes like Hawala are formally recorded.
“We need to create our own history, starting with the late Hawala and all those who are given such honours.”
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Speaking at Hawala’s funeral in Ongwediva on Saturday, Nandi-Ndaitwah told mourners that Hawala had made sacrifices not to achieve heroism, but to liberate his country.
“Those of you who listened to his life history as narrated on Friday at the memorial service, you will agree with me that it is not a favour that I conferred upon him the status of national hero and accorded him a state funeral. He made sacrifices not to become a hero, but to liberate his country,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
The retired military commander, who died on 11 August at the age of 89, just days before his 90th birthday, was remembered as a Namibian who stood firm during the most difficult times of the struggle against colonial and apartheid rule.
The president described Hawala as a devoted husband, father and comrade whose sacrifices were not for personal glory, but for the liberation and freedom of Namibia.
On Saturday, Nandi-Ndaitwah cited a biblical declaration in remembering his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
She hailed the former chief of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) as a towering figure of the liberation struggle whose dedication, patriotism and resilience will continue to guide Namibia’s journey toward unity and prosperity.
“The passing of Comrade Hawala is not only a loss to his immediate family; it is an irreplaceable void felt throughout our nation, especially within the very fabric of the Swapo party, which he joined in 1962, just two years after the party’s establishment,” she said.
The president explained that, while Hawala had been honoured as a national hero, his burial at Ongwediva rather than Heroes’ Acre was in accordance with his wishes to be laid to rest beside his parents.
“Government respects the wishes of the deceased, which, to a certain extent, is cultural. Yes, we are going to leave his body here today, but his revolutionary spirit will live on in us,” she said.
Nandi-Ndaitwah further assured mourners that the struggle Hawala once waged for political freedom will continue in the form of economic emancipation. “Comrade Hawala, the struggle for economic emancipation will be fought to prosperity in the same way you fought for the independence of this country,” she said.
A soldier, father and comrade
Hawala, affectionately nicknamed 'Jesus', was born on 19 August 1935 at Efidilomulunga village near Ongwediva.
He went into exile in 1964 and trained in Tanzania, North Korea and the Soviet Union, later rising to become deputy commander of Swapo’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN).
After independence, he joined the NDF as a major-general and was promoted to lieutenant general in 2000, serving as chief of the defence force until his retirement in 2006.
His children, in a message read by Laimi Hawala on behalf of her siblings, said their father was a man of “good character and dignity.”
His eldest daughter, Emmy, described him as kind and family-oriented, while Naambo recalled how his advice, though sometimes firm, always came from love.
Other family members and comrades painted the picture of a man who was fair, honest, hard-working and deeply principled.
Liberation veteran Mwahafar Ndakolute Ndilula remembered one of his core lessons: “He taught us that subordinates must always be treated fairly and told the truth, however uncomfortable it might be.”
Record history
Former president Hifikepunye Pohamba, in a message delivered on his behalf by Oshana governor Hofni Iipinge at the state memorial on Friday, said Hawala’s leadership was pivotal in establishing and strengthening the NDF into a formidable entity of international standard.
“He participated in regional and international peacekeeping missions under the mandates of the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC),” he said. He described Hawala as a courageous, selfless and tenacious servant whose bravery and dedication to freedom, justice and peace will continue to inspire.
Swapo secretary general Sophia Shaningwa described Hawala as “a towering revolutionary and fearless commander whose fire will remain unextinguished.”
Former chief of the NDF, Martin Shalli, urged the president to ensure the stories of heroes like Hawala are formally recorded.
“We need to create our own history, starting with the late Hawala and all those who are given such honours.”
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