Zebaldt Ngaruka
Otjiuaneho, a village some 40 kilometres east of Otjinene, will be the final resting place of the late archbishop Petrus Daniel Katikisa Tjijombo.
Tjijombo, who led the now-rebranded Father Tjijombo St John Faith Mission Church, will be laid to rest on Sunday.
Affectionately known as Muhonge Tjijombo, the late priest transitioned into the ancestry on 16 July 2023 at his residence in Katutura.
Speaking to New Era, church spokesperson Uazenga Ngahahe said the remains of the departed archbishop will leave Windhoek during the wee hours today.
“As we know, the government had accorded our archbishop an official funeral due to his contributions and the role he played in attaining the independence of our country. Thus, we are moving along with a government programme to take our father to his final resting place,” said Ngahahe.
Today, the convoy will also make a turn at the church’s venue in Gobabis before proceeding to Otjinene.
“At Otjinene, we will also stop at the church, where a church brass band will welcome their fallen archbishop before heading to Otjiuaneho,” added the spokesperson.
The official memorial service is scheduled for Saturday at Otjiuaneho from 8h00 to 12h00.
The church will take over from 12h00 to early Sunday morning, whereafter the government will take over the proceedings until the burial.
Other memorial services were held in the past few days at various church branches countrywide, including last Sunday at the church’s venue in the heart of Katutura.
“In South Africa, we paid homage to the archbishop at Ermelo branch in Mpumalanga, Gugulakau in Western Cape, Potchefstroom in Ikageng, while those in Botswana staged their memorial service in the capital, Gaborone,” Ngahahe alluded.
He added that the church’s circuit in the United Kingdom conducted its memorial at Stoke City.
Amongst the many contributions of the late Tjijombo is that he allowed his church to be used as a meeting venue for the Swapo party during the time of colonial oppression.
Passionately known as Muhonge Tjijombo, the late clergyman contributed immensely to the liberation struggle of the country.
He was recognised by the government as a war veteran due to his unwavering support for the country’s independence against colonial oppressors.
Tjijombo was arrested by the South African apartheid regime soldiers when he was sent by Swapo to collect money at the Buitepos area through his missionary work in the fight against the repugnant apartheid regime.
Bishop Tjijombo is the founder of the First St. John’s Apostolic Faith Mission in Namibia.
He was born in 1936 in Kaokoland, present-day Kunene north.
Tjijombo is survived by his wife and 34 children.