The rise of Namibia's top soldier: Lieutenant-General John Sinvula Mutwa

On Tuesday, December 31 2013, Namibia witnessed a change of guard with the promotion of Lieutenant-General Sinvula Mutwa to the rank of the Chief of Defence Force, taking over from a retired Lt.Gen Denga Ndaitwah. The event was indeed a moving moment for those of us who have always held General Mutwa in high esteem due to his unwavering commitment during the struggle for political independence. General Mutwa is a career soldier of high repute and he inspired me and some of my youthful comrades during the liberation struggle. Sinvula Mutwa was born at Mahundu village in the Katima Rural Constituency of the Zambezi Region. He went to exile in 1975 at the tender age of 15 and emerged as one of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia’s (Plan) brave young soldiers. He was among a group of cadres, such as Amb Leonard Iipumbu, who graduated from a military academy in Arusha, Tanzania, as officers, a lieutenant at the age of 17. Thereafter, at the age of 18, he was the youngest combatant who actively took part in probably the most significant recorded Swapo military operation known as ‘Operation Revenge’ which took place at Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region on August 23 1978. The operation was a deliberate reaction by Swapo to retaliate after the then South African apartheid military forces attacked Cassinga camp on May 4 1978, leading to a massacre of hundreds of innocent civilians sympathetic to the liberation cause spearheaded by Swapo. Mutwa, 18 years old, and comrade Victor Simunja, at 20 then, were part of a crew of seven who operated the main gun, Grand-P, that killed 10 soldiers of the South African apartheid army in Katima Base. A number of other highly regarded comrades today, such as Cde Ipumbu, an artilleryman, and Cde Errki Nghimtina, now Minister of Works, also took part in this operation. It was commanded by General Solomon Hawala, while the retired General Raonga Andima was the commander of the artillery unit during the operation. This event is regarded as one of the darkest moments in the history of the South African military casualties and the South African victims of this Swapo attack were given heroes’ funerals and a monument in their honour was erected in Potchefstroom in South Africa, where this regiment came from. Those of us who lived in Katima Mulilo then experienced and witnessed the anguish and pain inflicted on the apartheid South African army by the gallant crew of General Mutwa. At the age of 21, General Mutwa joined some comrades who were sent by Swapo to a political school in Russia. He joined the likes of President Hifikepunye Pohamba who was in Russia for political education at the same time. The inauguration of General Mutwa at the helm of the national defence force is a natural act placed correctly in historical and current contexts. Mutwa was instrumental in a number of military operations that took place in the northern front of Namibia, in areas such as Eenhana, Odibo and Ondangwa during the liberation struggle. He served as a Regional Chief of Reconnaissance of the northern front from 1983 to the time of independence in 1990. When Namibia attained political independence in 1990, General Mutwa joined the national defence force and served as the Head of Military Intelligence from 1990 to 1993 and then he left for a commanders’ training course in Kansas, USA. From there on he rose through the ranks of the Army and served Namibia on various missions abroad and in the country. It is therefore befitting that General Mutwa won the confidence of the appointing authority and was entrusted with the mammoth task of defending Namibia’s territorial integrity. Contrary to the perceived snubbing of Mutwa’s inauguration by the country’s top three citizens, General Mutwa enjoys the maximum confidence of the country’s top citizens. As a matter of fact, as I recall, President Pohamba has not attended the inaugurations of any of the Generals that he appointed, such as Shalli and Ndaitwah. The President instead only officiated as their official promotional ceremonies, which customarily took place at State House. The Namibia Defence Force is in the right hands. I salute you, General! JEROME MUTUMBA