Glowing tributes for ‘Apostle’ Kamburona

Churches all over Namibia are mourning the death of revolutionary spiritual leader Bishop Azariah Kamburona. Kamburona who was the bishop of the Protestant Unity Church (Oruuano), died at his home in Windhoek late on Saturday evening after he was discharged from the Central Hospital. Kamburona also served as the president of the Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) from 2012 to 2013. The CCN Secretary-General, Reverend Maria Kapere, said yesterday that Kamburona was an apostle in his own right. Kapere said Kamburona played a major part in the creation of independent indigenous churches. “He was jailed and tortured for his work, but he was a visionary,” she said. She explained that as the founder of the Oruuano churches and for his contributions towards the establishment of independent churches in Namibia, Kamburona should be considered an apostle. “In 2012, he was bestowed the honour of being the president of CCN. He was so supportive of the council and was loved by all. He truly was a visionary,” she said. Bishop Kamburona was born at Mosita near Mafikeng in South Africa in 1932, and attended a school there run by the London Missionary Society. In 1942, when he was ten, his family returned to Namibia and lived at Epukiro, north of Gobabis. He had difficulty at first, as he spoke only Tswana, Sotho and English, and in the school at Epukiro they spoke only Afrikaans and Otjiherero. He arranged with some of the teachers to teach them English, and in return they would teach him Otjiherero. One of his teachers was Gabriel Mbuende. He left school after Standard 6 and worked as a cleaner and mail sorter at the Gobabis post office. Three years later, when Standard Bank opened a branch in Gobabis in 1954, he went to work there. As a young man he became involved in politics, and after the Windhoek Massacre he was sacked as a potential troublemaker and made a living selling bread, sweets and liquor. The main politically active organisation in those days was the Herero Chiefs’ Council, but the United Nations regarded it as too tribal and preferred to deal with wider political organisations. So the South West Africa National Union (Swanu) and the Owamboland People’s Organisation, which later became Swapo, were formed, but they all worked together. In those days Kamburona was quite active in smuggling political activists including former President Sam Nujoma, across the border to Botswana. He himself wanted to go with them, but Herero Chief Hosea Kutako said his work should be spiritual and he should stay and be a minister in the Oruuano Church. Bishop Ernst //Gamxamub of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia yesterday described Bishop Kamburona as a father figure to Namibia. “He had a very fine understanding of cooperation among churches and had a theological way of thinking,” he said. //Gamxamub said he is extremely sad about Kamburona’s death. “He was a very trustworthy and reliable person in his old age. Somebody that everyone could rely on.” //Gamxamub said the CNN had lost a pioneering figure and a great leader and wished Kamburona’s wife, children and congregation God’s comfort. Pastor Wylie Upi of the Oruuano Church, said Kamburona was a pillar of strength and an icon of peace. He said the funeral arrangements have not been finalised yet but will be communicated soon. Bishop Kamburona is survived by his wife, 14 children and numerous grandchildren. WINDHOEK GORDON JOSEPH