Northerners remember Ya Toivo

Thousands of people from all over the north, and neighbouring Angola, gathered at the Ondangwa airport to welcome the remains of the late liberation struggle icon Herman Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo and later, at his memorial service at the Ondangwa trade fair centre on Friday.Many remember the late Ya Toivo as a loyal, humble and patriotic man who always made time for ordinary people.Ya Toivo, who was born at Omangundu village near Onyaanya in Oshikoto Region on 22 August 1924, died on 9 June in Windhoek at the age of 92. His first memorial service was held in Ondangwa on Friday and he will be buried this weekend at Heroes' Acre, just south of Windhoek.Speaking at the service, the former prime minister and retired politician Nahas Angula, said that Ondangwa is where Ya Toivo started his liberation struggle after his return from the Second World War.“With other early leaders of the liberation struggle they set up a network of connections between the villages. That is what gave OPO (SWAPO) power. If it was not of that network the liberation struggle would have been harder,” Angula said.The minister of safety and security, retired major-general Charles Namholoh, who spoke on behalf of government, said it was decided to hold a service in Ondangwa for Ya Toivo, who was accorded a State funeral and heroic burial at Heroes' Acre next Saturday, because of the ordinary people who would want to say goodbye but cannot make it to Windhoek.When Ya Toivo returned from the war, he worked as a contract labour before he co-founded the Owambo People's Organisation (OPO) in 1959 which became the South West African People's Organisation (Swapo) in 1960. Ya Toivo served 16 years in Robben Island in South Africa, sharing the prison with South African liberation icon Nelson Mandela. In 1984, he was released and rejoined Swapo in exile in Lusaka, Zambia. He returned to Namibia in 1989 where he served both as a parliament and Cabinet member.NorthernersThe 86-year-old Selma Shilongo and 80-year-old Martha Elia travelled all the way from the Iikango and Oshamba villages in the Oshikoto Region to see the body arrive and attend the memorial service of their friend whom their say was their mentor while they were growing up.“When we were growing up Ya Toivo was like a big brother to the whole community. We all relied on him for help. When he became a minister after independence he did not forget us. Whenever he visited the north he always made time for us and he always brought us gifts. The last time I saw him was at a wedding in Omuthiya last month. He told me that he was now old and could not make time to visit us anymore,” Elia said.Shilongo said that Ya Toivo, while he did not visit, always made time to call them. “He would call me and we would talk, sometimes for an hour or more. He always gave us advice on how to raise our children. I have lost a friend upon whom I could rely.”Prominent northern businessman Erastus Mvula Kakololo said that Ya Toivo was servant of the people of Namibia more than he was Wto his own family.Ya Toivo is survived by his wife Vicky, and two daughters, as well as a brother and sister. His family described him as a down-to-earth person who always made time to attend to family events and his children's activities.YouthMany of the speakers used the memorial to advise the youth to emulate the legacy left behind by liberation struggle icons.The governor for the Cunene Province in southern Angola, Kundi Paihama, retired Anglican bishop Shihala Hamupembe and Peter Iilonga all urged the youth to exercise discipline. Angula also urged Swapo members not to use the name of the party for material reasons. “We should not be victims of materialism in the name of Swapo. If you want to benefit materially go join the business sector and do not do it through the party,” he said. ILENI NANDJATO

Northerners remember Ya Toivo

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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Northerners remember Ya Toivo

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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