By Dr Elia George Kaiyamo
I would like to pay tribute to a towering revolutionary leader of unusual qualities. The news of Cde George Shinyala’s death on January 7, 2014 shocked and upset many Namibians, especially those core leaders of our revolution.
I affectionately called him ‘Mbushe’. He was a Pan-Africanist in the mould of the generation of Nyerere, Nkrumah, Nujoma, Kaunda with intellect like no other. As a visionary and consensus-builder, he employed sheer persuasive skills to get things done. Cde Shinyala went into exile in 1977, and became a key member of the Typhoon Unit, a special unit designed to undertake complex covert operations deep in central Namibia. In 1984, Swapo deployed him to the USSR for higher military training on Strategic Intelligence and combat work. I had the privilege of working with him in underground activities of our mighty Swapo Party, when he was tasked by the movement to be Military and Security Officer at Swapo’s diplomatic office in Gaborone from 1986 to 1990 under Swapo’s Chief Representative Charles ‘Shihepo’, today known as Ambassador Wilbard Hellao, our man in Kinshasa. The late Cde Shinyala was married to Cde Rauha ‘Tokyo’ Kondja since 1985. They have 5 children.
During the struggle, cadres such as Cde Shinyala advocated the following:
Unity of purpose among different working classes. Cde Shinyala mobilised resources that sustained churches, students and unions such as NANSO, NUNW etc. He also smuggled weapons to aid cadres who were inside the country.
Cde Shinyala was an internal mobiliser who facilitated numerous seminars to keep cadres up to speed with the ideology of the party.
Cde Shinyala was loved and respected by young and old for his unblemished morality and simplicity.
He was a special type and his political maturity was sharper even than the spear that he carried. He had deep respect for the Swapo Party, recognising that true freedom for Namibia would only be possible with a world outlook flavoured by socialism.
Without a doubt he will forever remain one of the most distinguished revolutionaries of our struggle, humanity owes him a debt of gratitude.
In order to appreciate the life and times of Cde Shinyala it is important that we respect and honour the way in which he understood his own role and contributions in the liberation of our country. Cde Shinyala always insisted that he was part of the collective and therefore his own contribution must not be subtracted or placed above the collective that he was part of. Another important lesson to learn from Cde Shinyala’s life is that he served with utmost humility. Let those who do not fully understand the extent to which blood was spilt in pursuance of Swapo unity be reminded not to throw [stones] at the legacy and memory of the likes of Shinyala by being reckless and [gambling] with the unity of our party and our country. I am grateful that I crossed paths with a cadre of his caliber. I therefore call upon on all Namibians to emulate his example of selflessness, sacrifice, commitment and service to his people. Let us make our own practical contributions towards nation building and a better Namibia. Let us make sure our schools and universities are functional. Let us built a prosperous society, true to the deeds of our fallen gallant freedom fighters, the likes of Cde Shinyala.
*Dr Elia Kaiyamo is the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration and a Member of Parliament.