Today, we look at her beautiful photo in the frame and light a candle in memory of Meme Ndahambelela Rachel Nakawa, as we mark what would have been her 83rd birthday. Affectionately known as Meme Ndahambelela, she passed away on 24 April 2024 at Onandjokwe Lutheran Hospital. Born on 27 July 1941 in what is now the Otjozondjupa region, Meme Ndahambelela was the youngest child of Elizabeth Isac and Mbayimbayi Titus Hangula.
She grew up on the Ozombatjuru farm in the Grootfontein area, an environment that shaped her early years with its unique challenges and joys. Growing up with three siblings with distinct personalities added richness to her childhood.
Meme Ndahambelela attended school in Grootfontein and Usakos, before enrolling for nursing studies at the Nursing Training Centre in Grootfontein. There, she studied alongside peers such as Margaret Esau and Popi Arnold. She later worked as a nurse at Walvis Bay Hospital with a dedicated team, including Isabella Kurz, Ottilie Tjivangurura and Priska Kasupi. In 1959 while visiting her mother in Usakos, she met John Iitala Nakawa, a businessman and anti-apartheid activist. Their paths crossed again in Walvis Bay, leading to a marriage officiated by Reverend Medusalem Shilongo on 11 September 1966. They settled in Windhoek, where they lived in the Ou Lokasie, and both became active in the energising Swapo movement, working with David Meroro, Aaron Hamutenya, Andimba Toivo ya Toivo and many others.

Liberation struggle
Her political journey began under the leadership of Nathanael Maxuilili and Vilho Mautamanene Gottlieb. She recruited new members and distributed Swapo of Namibia membership cards, leveraging her multilingual skills. Her involvement in politics intensified after her husband’s multiple incarcerations, during which she provided essential support to Plan combatants, offering intelligence, supplies and medical care. Relocating to Oniipa in 1967, they built a home and grocery shop, which became a hub for covert Swapo meetings. Dr Thomas Ihuhwa, Eliakim Namundjebo, Moses Amukongo, Vilho Kamanya and Boas Mweendeleli attended the underground meetings on a regular basis. Despite constant surveillance and harassment, Meme Ndahambelela’s resilience never wavered. Her home served as a refuge and support centre for many, including those fleeing into exile.
In Oniipa, Meme Ndahambelela and her husband sacrificed their resources for Namibia’s liberation struggle. They supported Plan combatants underground with intelligence, materials and medication without fail under difficult circumstances.
In 1974, the Nakawa family coordinated the mass exodus into exile, facilitating the journey of countless Namibians, including notable figures of today such as ooMeme Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, Nangula Shigwele-Hamutenya, and many others. As a nurse, Meme Ndahambelela provided emotional counselling and care to several Plan combatants who were injured in the various battlefronts in northern SWA/Namibia and southern Angola, often from the comfort of their family home.

Assassination
Following the assassination of Omukwaniilwa Fillemon Shuumbwa Elifas of Ondonga in 1975, Meme Ndahambelela was part of the delegation that was led by the Bishop of ELOK (ELCIN), Dr Leonard Auala to Oshikango to assess the condition of inmates detained by the notorious Koevoet forces. Her multilingual skills allowed her to confront an Afrikaner senior warder, voicing against the suffering of her people, and demonstrating her fearless advocacy for justice. Meme Ndahambelela campaigned tirelessly for the release of her husband and other political detainees, who were subjected to apartheid brutality, with remarkable courage. In July 1979, heavily pregnant, she bravely confronted soldiers who arrested her husband from their home, a scene that remains a poignant memory. Her indomitable spirit and unwavering support for her husband during his incarcerations exemplified her strength and loyalty to both her husband and the struggle for Namibia’s total liberation.

Harassment
Despite continuous harassment and miscarriages as a result of the Koevoet violations of her human rights, Meme Ndahambelela never faltered. She raised her children with stern guidance, teaching them to appreciate life despite daily hardships. She embodied that silent but transformative generation’s characteristics of loyalty, thriftiness, determination, resilience and self-sacrifice, never seeking glory, but allowing her deeds to speak for themselves.

Honoured
In September 2023, the octogenarian Meme Ndahambelela was honoured by the Ministry of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs with a new house, acknowledging her and her family’s sacrifices. In the words of Ruth Heloise First, an activist, communist militant, journalist, and intellectual from South Africa, a society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members.
We are grateful to the Government of the Republic of Namibia for the good treatment it continues to bestow many families, especially women and disabled veterans of our liberation struggle.
Her legacy was celebrated at her funeral on 4 May 2024, where Dr Martha Namundjebo-Tilahun praised her dedication, likening her to the Biblical Ruth. Comrade Armas Amukwiyu, Swapo Party Regional Coordinator for
Oshikoto, highlighted her humanitarian efforts, providing hope and support to many.
Meme Ndahambelela was interred at the Oniipa Lutheran Church cemetery, next to the symbolic grave she erected in 2004 in memory of her disappeared husband. Her story is one of loyalty and self-sacrifice —traits of the silent generation that carried her through Namibia’s most challenging times.
As we remember the first anniversary without her, we pay homage to a life lived with integrity, faith and bravery. Her legacy of quiet strength and unwavering conviction will inspire generations to come.
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”In commemorating Meme Ndahambelela, we also remember other formidable women who contributed to Namibia’s liberation, such as Vistorina GwaToo Jacob, Martha Shigwele, Jacobina Sheehama, Ndamono Shanghala, Aletta Ngaikukwete, Tresia Namundjebo, Aino Dumeni, Magdalena Kambudu, Saara Markus and many others. These women, both sung and unsung, fought with dignity and determination, their sacrifices often overlooked, yet immeasurable.

Strength
Meme Ndahambelela’s life was a testament to the power of quiet strength and selfless dedication. She traversed the turbulent waters of political activism, motherhood and entrepreneurship with grace and resilience. Her unwavering support for her husband, her community and her country exemplified the spirit of a true heroine. As we mourn her passing, we celebrate her extraordinary contributions to our independence. Meme Ndahambelela’s story is a reminder that the foundations of our freedom were built not only by those who wielded guns, but also by those who provided the support and care needed to sustain the liberation struggle. Not only by those who left the motherland, but also by those who remained in the belly of the beast, and wrestled with it from within.
Her life is a beacon of hope, a legacy of bravery, and an enduring testament to the power of faith and conviction. Our mother, grandmother and matriarch was unique, and we will never see the likes of her again.
I hope she receives the deserved celestial crown in eternity.