REVIA – Swanu of Namibia members met in Aminuis constituency over the weekend to pay tribute to Uatjindua Ndjoze who was interned at his village 30 years ago.
In what could partly be seen as the launch of its 2014 National and Presidential elections campaign the party also unveiled its new T-shirt.
Led by its secretary general, Tangeni Iijambo, and his deputy, Tobias Haakuria, as well as the coordinator of the party in the Omaheke and former councillor, Jeremiah Ndjoze, Otjombinde party members started gathering at the village of Roroams on Friday and Saturday where they engaged in internal party organization and mobilization before the actual commemoration ceremony on Sunday.
Instead of it being a sombre event, it was instead characterised by a revolutionary spirit infused with revolutionary songs centering on reincarnating the unflinching dedicated persona that Ndjoze was, thus imbuing the party members who occasioned the event with a new spirit in the mould of the charisma, bravery and radicalism of the late Ndjoze.
As much, the commemoration lived up to its theme of “Rededication to the ideals that Comrade Ndjoze stood for, the return of the land and other natural resources through the principle of socialism unique to Namibian peculiarities.”
Delivering the Swanu of Namibia President, Usutuaije Maamberua’s message on his behalf, Dr Rukee Tjingaete said while heroes and heroines of the Namibian liberation struggle could be diversified variously, late Ndjoze in particular could be defined and seen as someone who “died in action”.
He said he became a victim of apartheid and was bred in the harsh and brutal realities of oppression. Early during his school days he was expelled from the Augustineum Secondary School “because of his spirit of no surrender to recruitment on the one hand, and his notion of defiant attitude of questioning colonial authorities on the other. Ndjoze was a fearless, tireless, dedicated, strong and unmistakable liberation hero,” he said.
Ndjoze started his political involvement and activism in 1968 when he joined Swanu to which he was elected secretary soon after he joined.
As a firebrand and fearless freedom fighter, the late Ndjoze would especially be remembered for his involvement in the workers’ struggle internally, that is before leaving for exile as one of the vanguards of the workers’ struggle starting from the defiance of the workers in 1971 and eventually in the mass workers’ protest of 1973 which had its origin in the northern parts of the country but flamed out to the central part of the country.
Following this mass protest Njdoze was internally banished to the Aminuis communal area – modern day Aminuis constituency – but this would not break him politically and even there proved more of a handful for the apartheid authorities because of his grassroot networking which resulted in the authorities letting him return to Windhoek
In Windhoek the apartheid authorities continued with their efforts to politically break him subjecting him to sporadic expulsions from work and white-listing him from getting any job. During the same period he also was subjected to endless harassment including intermittent arrest warrants so much so that he eventually opted to leave the country and continue the struggle in exile. He passed away on October 18, 1983 in Gaborone.
“He might be dead but his spirit lives on. Let us emulate his ideals and rededicate ourselves to the return of the land and its natural resources through the principles of socialism unique to the Namibian peculiarities,” Dr Tjingaete implored Swanu members.
By Kae Matundu-Tjiparuro