Lahja Nashuuta
Namibia’s journey to independence is a story of courage, sacrifice, and resilience. For Cassinga survivor Karin Nangula Namboga Shikalepo, this journey began in her childhood, shaped by fear, hope, and the fight for freedom.
Early life in Oshilemba
Shikalepo was born on September 30, 1962, in Oshilemba, Omusati Region, as the oldest of eight children.
“My parents raised me, Mr. Isreal Namboga and Mrs. Helvi Ithete Namboga,” she recalled. However, increasing political tensions made it unsafe for her to stay at home. When she was six, she was sent to live with her maternal grandparents, Paulus Ithete, known as Kawaga, and Lahja Jako Ithete.
Even as a young child, Shikalepo saw firsthand the realities of the liberation struggle. After the first clash between South African forces and Swapo at Omugulumbashe, her uncle, Lamek Ithete, and Comrade Patrick Lunganda sought refuge in her family home. “They stayed in a room where we children were not allowed. My mother would quietly bring them food,” she remembered.
A night of terror
Narrating her journey to New Era, Shikalepo reveals that one night, soldiers surrounded their home.
“Patrick Lunganda, a trained fighter, fired into the air, and the soldiers ran away. Both he and my uncle escaped,” Shikalepo recalled.
That night, both her parents were arrested. “My mother was released after three days because she was breastfeeding my twin brothers, Asser and Julius. But my father was taken to jail in Ondangwa,” she said.
Even after moving in with her grandparents, danger was never far away. Soldiers often came looking for her uncle. Her grandfather, known for his bravery, stood up to threats from collaborators.
“Kill me. Better I die and go straight to heaven, because hell is waiting for you,” he told a man who threatened him, Shikalepo recollected.
Fleeing Namibia
As the situation worsened, Shikalepo’s cousin, Immanuel Lamek Ithete, organised a plan to leave Namibia.
“We cannot live like this. I can organise others so we can leave together,” he told her.
Along with six companions, Shikalepo traveled at night, reaching Outapi before being escorted on foot to the Angola border. “I was the youngest in the group and very scared, but the Swapo soldiers treated me kindly,” she said.
When asked what inspired or motivated her personally to make the difficult decision to join the fight for Namibia’s freedom, Shikalepo revealed that she was inspired by the radio broadcasts from her uncle Herman Nangolo Ithete.
“The programs from Dar es Salaam were full of songs and messages that gave me hope and a sense of purpose,” Shikalepo explained. After Angola gained independence in 1975, the broadcasts moved to Luanda, further fueling her commitment to the struggle.
Surviving Cassinga
Shikalepo, a retired teacher and former Windhoek East Education Director, said on 4 May 1978 that she survived one of the darkest chapters in Namibian history: the Cassinga Massacre.
“I witnessed people being shot, children crying beside their dead mothers. I survived only by hiding under lifeless bodies,” she recalled.
The memory remains painful, but she emphasizes its importance: “It is a day we must never forget.”
Shikalepo urged the younger generation to focus on nation-building. “We must sometimes put politics aside and work on education, farming, and the economy,” she said.
“Namibia belongs to all of us equally. One Namibia, One Nation.”
She also warns that political independence has not yet resulted in complete economic freedom. “Control over our economy, natural resources, and land is not fully established.
We can only overcome these challenges if we stay united and work together,” Shikalepo emphasised.