Sheehama was a secret keeper – Shaningwa

TUYEIMO HAIDULA OSHAKATI Swapo secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa described the late Jacobina Taukondjele Sheehama as a “secret keeper” and a freedom fighter in her own right.Sheehama (82), affectionately known as ‘Die Mee’, was married to businessman David Sheehama, who was assassinated on 14 March 1980 in his home. She died at the Oshakati State Hospital on 9 November.Remembering the couple, Shaningwa said they sacrificed a lot as they were known for helping the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) combatants by offering them accommodation, clothing, food and more.“We are talking about a daughter of the soil who kept party secrets. We are mourning a freedom fighter who contributed immensely to the liberation struggle of this country. My condolences to my cousins, Omusati business people and the entire community,” she said. ‘Part of a remarkable generation’Former president Sam Nujoma said it is with sadness he learnt about Sheehama’s death, adding that she formed part of a remarkable generation of freedom fighters who endured hardship and led the national liberation struggle to its successful conclusion.With her husband and their children, Sheehama endured profound physical and emotional torture at the hands of the apartheid regime during the war, the founding president said.“The late [Sheehama] survived an assassination attempt with a gunshot wound when their house was attacked by those who came to kill her husband because of his firm determination to fight against the oppression of the white minority South African colonial regime through Swapo.“As the struggle intensified, most of her children left Namibia to join the liberation struggle under the banner of Swapo in exile,” he said. ‘Will never be forgotten’Nujoma said although the couple suffered harassment and intimidation, they never wavered and continued to provide food and shelter as well as valuable information on the movement of enemy forces to PLAN combatants until the country gained independence.“Against this background, her revolutionary deeds as well as those of her husband will never be forgotten by the current and future generations.”Sheehama was laid to rest on Saturday, while a memorial service was held on Friday at her family homestead in the Onamulunga-Nakayale village in the Omusati Region.She is survived by 10 children and 35 grandchildren. – tuyeimo@namibiansun.com

Sheehama was a secret keeper – Shaningwa

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-10

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Sheehama was a secret keeper – Shaningwa

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-10

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