June claims another liberation stalwart

Staff Writer

The month of June continues with its mayhem in terms of robbing the nation of its liberation icons and depositories of the liberation struggle history.

The latest person to bow out is liberation struggle stalwart and Swanu of Namiba diehard and trusted cadre, Sondag Kangueehi, who have unwaveringly stood with his all time political party, Swanu of Namibia, since its inception in 1959, till his eternal retirement. He silently and quietly passed on at his home in Windhoek this morning due to sickness and frailty, aged 82.

The late Kangueehi is the eldest of three Kangueehi brothers, with Kuzeeko and Noag, all staunch members of Swanu of Namibia, whose firm allegiance to the party, and to the anti-colonial struggle in the country, especially against South Africa’s attempt to impose an internal settlement in the late 1970s, earned them the wrath of the Apartheid South African occupational regimes and its oppressive and brutal police force. Intermittently visiting upon and its henchmen their dirty tricks including torching their houses in the village homestead of Okahumandu, in today’s Aminuis Constituency. As a result of which for some time they were declared persona non grata in the then Bantustan of Aminuis, having to make nocturnal flights to escape the marauding South African tribal-political vigilantes.

A fierce, brave, daring and no- backing freedom fighter, notwithstanding his other hat, that of a clergy, typical of the times when the clergy could not turn a blind eye to the Apartheid oppression and its attendant injustices against members of their congregations. Besides for Swanu, the late Kangueehi was also closely associated with the Namibia National Convention (NNC) in the late 1970s, an umbrella of liberation minded organisations, which he co-formed and led together with fellow patriotic freedom fighters like late Nathanael Maxhuilili, late Daniel Tjongarero, late Mokganedi Thlabanelo, Axel Johannes, Joshua Hoebeb late Martha Ford of Swapo; late Gerson Hitjevi Veii, Jefta Tjozongoro, Kuzeeko Kangueehi, Vekuii Rukoro, etc of SWANU; Kephas Conradie of Voice of the People; Zephania Kameeta of NAPDO (before the latter joined Swapo of Namibia) and few traditionalists.

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