Nepando Amupanda was late Founding President Sam Nujoma’s right-hand man, eyes, nose and ears.
For the first time, Amupanda – affectionately known across Namibia just by his first name, ‘Nepando’ was unveiled at independence on 21 March 1990 as Nujoma’s eagle-eyed (Omeho gontsa) bodyguard.
He never left his sight – not even at night.
As we sat with him yesterday, he struggled holding back his emotions as he recalled his relationship with the man he loyally served as a bodyguard for 23 years.
Although he did not go into details, Amupanda said protecting Nujoma was not a walk in the park.
They averted multiple attempts on Nujoma’s life.
“I was with comrade Nujoma for 23 years. There were many attempts [on his life]. But we spotted all those things. They wanted to take his life but God will [always] give us wisdom to deal with the matter. I will not give information here,” Amupanda said.
In the military world, Amupanda was Nujoma’s aide-de-camp, an officer acting as a confidential assistant to a senior officer.
“My heart is heavy, but God is for all of us,” he says, wiping away his tears.
No communication
Amupanda reveals that after Nujoma vacated the presidential seat in 2005, he was barely allowed to communicate with him.
According to him, those responsible for Nujoma’s security—his former colleagues—actively prevented him from speaking to the founding president over the phone whenever he tried to reach out.
At times, Nujoma would invite Amupanda to events, including his birthday, but those entrusted with his security would not allow him to speak to the man for whom he had practically sacrificed his life.
“I would only talk to Tatekulu if he picked up the phone himself to call me. He would confirm if I was invited to his birthday, and my response would be ‘no.’
He would then say, ‘Please come. I would like to see you here.’ When I arrived at his house, he would ask me to stay over for a week or so,” Amupanda recalls.
He recounts a poignant moment when Nujoma called him to meet at the hospital as he was unwell.
This would possibly be their last encounter.
“When I went to the hospital, the bodyguards refused to let me see him. I begged them, but they blatantly refused [and] I left. I was so hurt. Now he is gone,” he says, his voice breaking with emotions.
Despite the isolation by his former colleagues and ill-treatment, Amupanda will attend Nujoma’s funeral, he said.
“I am going to bury my leader, who loved me. I loved him. I want to thank the soldiers who worked with me. We endured sun and rain. It was not easy, but God will take care of us,” Amupanda said, before extending the former to Kuku Kovambo Nujoma and the entire Nujoma family.
Servanthood
Furthermore, servanthood is what Amupanda has known all his life.
He was a commander of one of the troops in Lubango, Southern Angola, when his then-boss, Salomon ‘Jesus’ Awala, deployed him and other soldiers to Nujoma’s office in Luanda in 1982.
That year would mark the genesis of his long and close relationship with the now-departed liberation struggle icon whose heroics are unparalleled.
Among those who joined Nujoma’s office, also referred to as the ‘Office of the President’, were commissioner Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa, Usko Nambinga, Kauna Shikongo, and Lebeus Heita, Amupanda recalls.
“The way I saw Nujoma from a distance was totally different from how I saw him up close. I feared him from afar, but when I got closer, I realised that Nujoma truly loved his people—just as the song says. He never shouted at us; if you made a mistake, he would correct you peacefully,” Amupanda said emphatically.
He was particularly moved when he saw Nujoma personally buying essentials, including underwear, for female soldiers. “He was hands-on, just like a father,” he said.
Amupanda and Kashihakumwa, along with Mauris Kindo, worked in the same department, handling vehicle supervision.
They underwent further military training to specialise in handling both military and presidential vehicles, including specially crafted ones.
More than a bodyguard
For observers, Amupanda and his team were just bodyguards.
However, they were much more than that.
They were literally Nujoma’s eyes, ears, and confidantes. They advised him, sometimes disagreeing with him and standing their ground, especially when his plans seemed dangerous.
“I took an oath to protect him, and after the death of Peter Nanyemba, I knew no one else could lead the struggle to its conclusion,” the soft-spoken, yet firm, Amupanda said.
He recalls disagreeing with Nujoma’s plan to collect an honorary degree from the University of Lesotho before a planned conference in Lusaka. Amupanda felt the trip was too risky, as Lesotho was surrounded by apartheid South Africa, where he feared Nujoma could be captured.
“When he insisted on going, I told him that if our plane was captured over South African airspace, I would set it on fire. I would not allow anyone to be captured; we would all die in that plane. Two days before the trip, he came to me and said he had changed his mind,” Amupanda recounts.
Uhuru
After independence, uhuru in Kiswahili, Amupanda and his team continued to serve as Nujoma’s trusted aides, accompanying him on undisclosed trips to monitor the country, often at night when the nation was asleep.
These missions included flying to the then Caprivi region, now Zambezi, during the 1999 conflict to assess the situation.
“Nobody knew that Nujoma was there apart from his closest team,” he said.
In 2002, Amupanda recalls, when National Union for the Total Independence of Angola leader Jonas Savimbi and his troops attacked tourists in Namibia, Nujoma and his trusted crew flew to the area.
The move led to the downfall of Savimbi on Nujoma’s orders, Amupanda said.
“When we told him a trip was too dangerous, he would always say, ‘Ava veli oko navo ova valwa’ [‘the people there were also born/the people over there are just as human]. He was fearless and hands-on,” he continued.
Amupanda also recalls Nujoma’s pragmatic, hands-on leadership style.
“Officials could not lie to him about projects, thinking he would not find out. He would ask me to arrange transport so he could inspect those areas at night,” he said.
No holidays
In 1989, ahead of Namibia’s independence, Amupanda was among the first group of returnees sent to prepare for Nujoma’s arrival. Preparations were led by the late Anton Lubowski and late president Hage Geingob. Lubowski, who oversaw negotiations with white authorities, ensured their arrival at the airport was smooth and helped purchase houses for Swapo leaders, including one for Nujoma.
But a day before Nujoma’s arrival, Lubowski was assassinated.
“We advised the comrade president not to come, but he insisted, saying, ‘nanye ovo muli oko omwa dalwa,’ and so he came,” Amupanda recalls.
Nujoma’s arrival was accompanied by the establishment of his security unit – the Presidential Aide-de-Camp.
“Peter Mweshihange [former defence minister] called me and told me I was chosen to be the bodyguard always next to the president. I never applied for these positions; they were part of my journey, given by God. I was trained by Brigadier Opande from Kenya,” he says.
It is believed that Amupanda had an ‘eagle eye’ that could detect omens or danger well in advance to cover and protect.
“I lived in Katutura, but the president told me to move. He found me a house adjacent to the State House. My family moved with me. My children and wife spent time in the State House during gatherings. I had no holidays, no leave for many years. The only country I have not seen in the world is Japan—that’s all,” he says.
Asked about the eagle, Amupanda replied, “I am not going to comment on that.”
He then walked away.
Who is Nepando?
Born in 1952 in Onalulage village, Amupanda is the son of Sakaria Amupanda gwaShiponeni, a soldier of Ondonga King Nehale, and Lydia Namuhanga GwaMbashu.
He joined Swapo at a young age and first saw Nujoma’s picture at a 1971 rally led by Aron Mushimba, Eddie Amukongo, and Martin Kapewasha. At the time, he was a schoolteacher but became a key figure in supplying Swapo soldiers with medicine, with the help of his wife and Finnish doctors.
His covert operations were discovered, leading to his arrest and brutal torture by South African forces. He sustained broken ribs, a fractured jaw, and severe burns.
Following his release, Swapo called him into exile in 1977, where he underwent military training and later served under Dimo Hamaambo before being spotted by Awala.
Amupanda holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Namibia and is pursuing a master’s degree.
“The comrade president encouraged me to further my studies – no matter what,” he said.
– hshaanika@nepc.com.na