Shityuwete deserves Heroes’ Acre burial – Ekandjo

Liberation struggle veteran Jerry Ekandjo and former Cabinet minister Calle Schlettwein have called on government to declare Helao Joseph Shityuwete a national hero and bury him at Heroes' Acre.President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has accorded Shityuwete a state funeral, which effectively rules out burial at Heroes' Acre.Ekandjo, himself a former Robben Island prisoner, questioned what criteria were used in the decision to give Shityuwete a state burial.“Helao is a pioneer of Swapo. I got to know him in 1963 in Windhoek at the Old Location," he told Namibian Sun on Thursday."At the time, I was only a 16-year-old young man. We used to attend Swapo meetings addressed by him alongside Jason Mutumbulwa, John ya Otto Nankudhu and Nathaniel Maxuilili, among others,” Ekandjo said.He added that Shityuwete is a hero and a co-founder of Swapo and the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN)."He has done a lot for this country. He deserves to go to Heroes’ Acre,” he said, adding that government should explain why Shityuwete had not been declared a national hero.“Traditionally, whenever a person of this calibre passes on, they should either be buried at Heroes’ Acre, the Eenhana Shrine or the Omugulugwombashe Shrine. This has been the practice for the past 30 years,” Ekandjo said.He said he was informed during Shityuwete’s memorial service that the family had consented to a Heroes’ Acre burial but that national-hero status had not been granted.“My understanding is that they were told, 'No, he is not a hero.’ Since when?” he asked, urging the president to reconsider the recommendation.“The committee’s decision must be rejected. The man was tortured and subjected to electric shocks while imprisoned. He suffered for the freedom of this country. This decision must be reconsidered,” Ekandjo said.'He is a hero'The composition of the committee referred to by Ekandjo, its recommendation and the criteria it allegedly applied have not been disclosed.Schlettwein made a similar appeal, saying Shityuwete should be laid to rest alongside his fellow Robben Island political prisoners.“Cde Helao Joseph Shityuwete was honoured with a state funeral, and one appreciates that, but he is a hero," the former minister said.“He and his fellow Robben Island political prisoners sacrificed the best parts of their lives for us to be free. That is what heroes are, and I wished he could rest in peace next to his comrades. We salute you,” Schlettwein wrote on social media.The Presidency has been asked to clarify whether Shityuwete has been considered for national-hero status, whether burial at Heroes’ Acre remains under consideration and what process is followed when determining such recognition.Last wishFamily spokesperson Julius Ngweda said Shityuwete wished to be buried next to his comrades at Heroes' Acre.“As a family, we want his final wishes to be fulfilled. Those wishes are that, once he passes on and the government declares a funeral for him, he wants to be buried next to his comrades, such as Dimo Hamaambo, as well as his long-time friend and comrade Andimba Toivo ya Toivo,” Ngweda told Namibian Sun.Ngweda said Shityuwete belonged to the first generation of Namibians who initiated the armed struggle against South African occupation.“Tate Shityuwete was one of the first to start the liberation struggle, in the second group. As a family, we ask: Of all the contributions he made to this country, what else was he required to do to be declared a hero?”Ngweda stressed that the family was not seeking financial or personal benefits.“We are not asking for a lot, nor do we want anything that would benefit us. We just want his final wishes to be fulfilled,” he said.Captured, tortured, imprisonedShityuwete became politically active while working as a contract labourer at the Walvis Bay docks and joined the Ovamboland People’s Organisation in 1959. He helped establish its Walvis Bay branch before Swapo's formation in 1960.He left Namibia in 1964 and later underwent military training in Ghana and Tanzania before returning in 1966 as part of a group sent to prepare for the armed liberation struggle. He was captured near Nkurenkuru, detained and tortured before standing trial alongside other Namibian freedom fighters in the State v Tuhadeleni and 36 Others case.Shityuwete was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment in 1968 and spent more than 16 years on Robben Island before his release in May 1984.Other Namibian political prisoners held on the island included Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, John Pandeni, John ya Otto Nankudhu, Eliaser Tuhadeleni, Jerry Ekandjo and Gerson Veii. Several were later declared national heroes and buried at Heroes’ Acre.After his release, Shityuwete studied in the United Kingdom through a scholarship facilitated by the Council of Churches in Namibia and the Africa Educational Trust.He returned to Namibia in 1989 and helped establish the labour ministry and served as deputy director of human resources until his retirement in 1996. He also contributed to the development of Namibia’s first post-independence Labour Act.Shityuwete documented his experiences in the 254-page autobiography 'Never Follow the Wolf: The Autobiography of a Namibian Freedom Fighter', published in 1990.Efforts to obtain comments from the chairperson of the National Honours Advisory Committee in Namibia, Annely Haiphene, proved futile.

Shityuwete deserves Heroes’ Acre burial – Ekandjo

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-11

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Shityuwete deserves Heroes’ Acre burial – Ekandjo

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-11

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