Fallen struggle heroes finally come home

Not many people know the story of Putuse Leonora Dwyili-Appolus, who in the 1960s opened her home and spent nearly every cent she earned as nurse to feed Swapo liberation fighters while in exile in Zambia However, with the return of her remains, along with those of Lineekela Ailundu Kalenga yesterday, tales of their unwavering belief in the struggle have once again found their way into the public domain. President Hifikepunye Pohamba described Appolus, affectionately known as Meekulu Putuse, and Kalenga as two strong, unwavering and gallant freedom fighters who deserve a hero and heroine’s funeral. Born on September 23, 1930, Appolus grew up in South Africa and worked as a nurse at Lüderitz before joining the liberation struggle in 1961. She was a Swapo Central Committee and Pan-African Women's Organisation (PAWO) member in Algeria. Before dying of a stroke in Lusaka, Zambia on October 28, 1986, Appolus also served as a representative of Swapo at the World Women Organisation (WWO). She is survived by three children - Nora, Mburumba and Jomo. Kalenga, who was a teacher at Tsumeb in the Oshikoto Region, was born on June 8, 1939. He taught at different schools before joining the liberation struggle. Kalenga served as the Swapo Secretary of Education and was also a member of its political bureau and central committee. He died June 27, 1981 in Zambia. Kalenga is survived by his two brothers, Phineas and Esau, and a daughter named Frieda. The remains of Appolus and Kalenga were exhumed in April, and their repatriation follows those of fellow liberation stalwarts Isack ‘Pondo’ Shikongo, Eneas Peter Nanyemba, Natalia Shikangala Mavulu, Walde Homateni Kalwenya and Augustus Nghaamwa, whose remains were returned in May. Government will accord them all a heroes’ funeral. Friendship Pohamba said he first met Appolus at Dar es Salem in Tanzania in 1961, and that he was acquainted with Kalenga, whom he met at Tsumeb when he spent the night at the town following his release from prison in 1961. Kalenga was in the company of Prime Minister Dr Hage Geingob, who himself was also a teacher at the town during that time. “I am making a statement about people I knew. Mama Putuse was like a mother to many of us in the struggle. She was a nurse, who opened her house to us. We always ate lunch and dinner in her house,” Pohamba said. “Mama Putuse suffered. Her husband was arrested in the then Northern Rhodesia. She never had a bank account, because we always used up her money. She could not speak French in Algiers, but as a freedom fighter, she found her way.” Pohamba added that Kalenga was a brave fighter who was instrumental in negotiating with the German Democratic Republic (GDR) to admit Namibian children in their kindergartens and primary schools, in the aftermath of the Cassinga Massacre in 1978. “He was a brave man. He negotiated with the GDR. This is why today you find there are so many Namibian children who can speak German far much better than the Namibian/German-speaking people themselves.” Nora said seeing her mother’s coffin was gratifying, as Namibia would now be her final resting place. She described her mother as a loving, upright and vivacious woman, who was full of integrity. She had committed her life to being a freedom fighter. “We had a wonderful mother. Life was difficult since her passing. The legacy she left us was that of a strong sense of ethics, dedication, commitment and hard work. We have been able to cope along the way, but as old as I am, I still cry when I think of her. The pain never really goes away.” Mburumba praised government for returning his mother’s remains, saying the family will not object to her being buried among other heroes and heroines. Kalenga’s legacy Oshikoto Regional Councillor for the Tsumeb Constituency, Lebbius Tobias, said as a young boy growing up in the area, he heard of the brave tales and legacy Kalenga. Tobias added he also has fond memories of the life Kalenga lived amid the difficulties of the liberation struggle. “No one in Tsumeb does not know of this brave soul, who mobilised the community and those in the surrounding areas of Tsumeb to join and work of Swapo, with the aim of attaining independence.” Tobias said when he joined Swapo structures at the town, he spearheaded an initiative to have a street and a school named after Kalenga. “We felt as a part of the leadership of Swapo in the region, we had to honour him for his big contributions to the struggle. We also have a Swapo branch named after him, as he did a great job for Swapo.” Phineas, Kalenga’s elder brother, described him as a quite man, who lived and toiled for Swapo in his heydays. Phineas said he vividly remembers the day Kalenga came and told the family he was leaving Namibia to travel overseas to join in the fight for independence. “He came to say goodbye to me and promised that he was coming back. I waited, but he never did. He would have wanted to celebrate the country’s independence, but fate was not on his side. Today is emotional time, but I am happy that we have his remains to at least bury him and find closure. This is now the time to truly say goodbye.” Phineas further said that the return of Kalenga’s remains coincides with the month his late mother died and was laid to rest at Okahandja in 2003. “This is why the family is in agreement that he deserves a funeral befitting a hero, as Windhoek’s sacred Heroes’ Acre.” Pohamba thanks Zambia Pohamba thanked Zambia for the pivotal role it played in helping Namibia attain its independence. He said the Zambian people suffered for aiding Namibians during the struggle. “Those Zambians suffered. I am speaking of things I know so well. Zambian people died... The country faced a problem, as near the Zambezi Region, along the river, the South Africans were there. The Zambian people were beat up, but they never gave up. So we thank them so much for what they have done.” Pohamba also said more remains of liberation struggle heroes and heroines will still be repatriated when their graves are identified. Those whose remains lie in unmarked graves will continue to be honoured in spirit, as they had lost their lives on the frontlines of the struggle. He said government will continue to repatriate the remains of those who died as a result of the German genocide between 1904 and 1908. WINDHOEK FAITH SANKWASA