Joshua Razikua Kaumbi
On the 26 August 2023, I drove to Okalumbu village in Onyaanya constituency. My vehicle got stuck twice in the white sand after being warned not to come with a small vehicle.
This drive was to attend the celebration of the birthday of Nahas Gideon Angula, now my octogenarian friend. Mitiri has had a full life, both pre- and post-independence, and served in various capacities, both in Swapo and government.
My path crossed that of Mitiri or Citizen Katusha as he is affectionately known, at the 1996 Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso) at the University of Namibia (Unam). At this congress, when given the floor and to draw his attention, I accused him of turning me into a ‘street kid’. Typical of Mitiri, my name became ‘street kid’ as he invited me to his office. The Monday after the congress, I went to see him as per his invitation. His secretary however refused me entrance demanding my name, which led to a stalemate. I sat there until he came and to my surprise, he recognised the ‘’street kid’ from the Nanso congress. That was the beginning of our sui generis friendship. This friendship, with a person who shared the same Christian name as that of my late uncle, was of its kind and whilst alive to the age difference, survived personal political preferences and inclinations. Whatever the understanding and meaning thereof. In 1999, the Pan-African Student Society (PASS) led by the author, at Unam, guided by minister Nahas Angula, late Bankie Foster Bankie and brother Ben Uugwanga, in commemorating the 36th anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity, organised a very successful and one of its kind conference at Hotel Safari themed: ‘The African Origin of Civilisation and the Destiny of Africa’.
Ironically the main sponsor of this ‘black conference’ was late Harold Pupkewitz himself.
During the build-up to the said conference, I would always frustrate minister Angula with my late comings, to such an extent that Mitiri promised to buy me a watch in the presence of everybody. I am yet to receive same, which he would find difficult to fulfil given his status as a pensioner and the type of watches to my liking.
That said, after the said conference, we became the first group to hoist the first African Union flag in our Republic on a permanent basis at Unam after the declaration by then President Sam Nujoma. After my university studies, and when he discovered that I was unemployed, he dared his then permanent secretary Vitalis Ankama to assemble the best panellists possible for any position in the ministry of youth. Despite Steve Hoveka raising issues of security regarding certain available positions, he held the view that no position is security sensitive for any Namibian citizen.
He unveiled the plague to my legal practice in 2008 when he was the third prime minister of our republic. At this occasion, he refused the prepared speech and instead spoke from his heart claiming to know me better than the speech writers. I became a frequent visitor to his home until Meme Angula and Nambata had no choice but to accept my disturbance. We would differ about form and substance, but then park our differences and engage profusely on issues essential to the existence of our nation and our friendship. He taught me never to refuse to answer that call whatever the time and the argument that preceded the call.
At his 80th birthday celebration ambassador Kalomoh, whom I had the privilege of eventually meeting, aptly described Mitiri as a profile in courage. According to ambassador Kalomoh, Mitiri can be brutally honest in manner and style. Though he is very difficult to move from one position to another, Nahas Angula would grant you the courtesy and respect, even long after the engagement. After the Founding Father, a nationalist at scrutiny, Mitiri is the only staunch and genuine Pan Africanist this country ever produced so far. In contrast late Theo-Ben Gurirab was more an internationalist.
Those in attendance under the tree, at the said Okalumbu village, regarded him as the worthy custodian of the ‘Mr Education for All’ title. Long before the independence of our country, I am advised which advise I verily believe to be true, that he advocated that pre-primary education is critical for establishing a solid foundation for a child’s social, emotional, and overall well-being. His commitment and approach to education and children’s nutrition in exile and at the embryonic stage of our republic continue to be the conditio sine qua non of contemporary attempts to continuously bring about improvement in our education system. His action remains that predicating human act. Nahas Angula’s approach to education was trichotomous, consisting of government, learners through Nanso and the parents as a process, which ought to be the case.
Social media projection and understanding aside and compared to the other half of the two-nation state, which we hitherto failed to integrate, Mitiri is not poor nor is he having a bad taste of dressing. He merely reached that level of self-actualisation that understand that wealth should not be paraded especially when your neighbourhood consist of the less fortunate. He told me once never to boast about wealth in a sea of poverty. Ezumo riturumikua.
I drove back to my dwelling as an ordinary fella from home, who peeped into the dreams of the giants at own volition. Instead of praying for the road, my prayer was for this country of ours to produce the same ‘deployees’ as leaders like those at the nascent stage of our republic, forced at an early age to be parents not only to themselves but others from home they shared strange skies with because of a single dream that became the collective. Whatever their weaknesses and flaws, they displayed an acceptable level of love and commitment to our cause and our country. It is my subjective belief to conclude that Nahas Angula, the architect of our education and yellow bus commuter, successfully taught me that we walk far in this global village when we rise above artificial ethnic comfort and confines, and our sleep becomes peaceful when each had a piece of the cake. Our political relevance ought not to be based on the apportionment of blame, which has the potential to reveal the weakness of our argument.
Mitiri as you are about to sit, which you should do, I wish you contentment and pray you not only offer advice but put pen to paper whilst you still have your glasses and your fingers the necessary adrenaline.
*Joshua Razikua Kaumbi is a holder of BA Political Science and Sociology (Unam), LLB (Stellenbosch) and an admitted legal practitioner, still on legal sabbatical, expressing his opinions in his capacity as a Namibian citizen.