Lisony Njembo

St. John Faith Mission Archbishop Julius Hoveka, who died last week ago, will be laid to rest on Sunday at Sukkelaar village in the Otjombinde Constituency of the Omaheke region.

St. John Faith Mission Church spokesperson Ngahahe Tjiposa said a memorial service will precede the burial on Wednesday at the church premises in Windhoek.

“Wednesday is considered a holy day in biblical terms, which befits the character and personality of the departed Hoveka. The service starts at 15h00 – designated as a prayer hour according to our belief,” he said.

Hoveka died on 5 November after a short illness at Katutura Hospital.  He was elected archbishop of the church on 4 November 2024, following the death  archbishop Peter Tjijombo in 2023. Tjijombo has been a long-serving leader of the church until his death. 

Hoveka was officially ordained on the 7 September this year as the archbishop, serving just two months in office before his untimely demise.

From a young age, Hoveka worked closely with late Tjijimbo, and also collaborated with the Ovambanderu Traditional Authority.  He also contributed to the establishment of St. John Faith Mission branch at Omaueuozonjanda in Epukiro – widely considered to be the headquarters of a section of the Ovambanderu community.

He was born in Omaueuozonjanda and relocated to Otjombinde. Tjiposa called on members of the church to exercise resilience and wishes them strength during the mouring of archbishop Hoveka. 

“We expects the legacy of teamwork to continue between the officials and the church members respectively despite the death of the archbishop,” he said.

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