Africa mourns a liberation hero: Sam Nujoma – ACTSA

10/02/2025

This alone merits him a place alongside the great African heroes of the anti-colonial struggle, such as the Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia and Queen Nzinga Mbandi of Angola.  It secures his place alongside Eduardo Mondlane and Samora Machel of Mozambique, Amilcar Cabral of Guinea-Bissau, Agostinho Neto of Angola and Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo of South Africa, all of whom led the liberation struggles of their countries in the last part of the 20^th Century.
Sam Nujoma was born on 12^th May 1929 in the Ogandjera region of Ovamboland.  He gained his elementary education by attending night school, and at 16 he became a railway dining car steward.  He was soon sacked from this post because he tried to form a railway workers trade union.  He went on to help found the Ovambo People’s Organisation in the 1950s and soon found himself opposing the apartheid Government which had ruled his country under a mandate granted by the League of Nations at the end of the First World War.  Previously it had been the German Colony of South West Africa, and retained that name as a South African mandated territory.
In 1960 Sam Nujoma went into exile.  He walked from Ovamboland to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania.  On 19^th April 1960, the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) was founded and Nujoma was elected as President, a post that he held until 2007.  For the first six years, SWAPO petitioned for the independence of its country.  The apartheid government simply ignored them.  In 1966, Sam Nujoma led SWAPO in the momentous decision to launch the armed struggle, which began on 26^th August that year.  The People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) fought that war for 22 years, and were eventually victorious.
Sam Nujoma however recognised that the diplomatic struggle was just as important.  With the assistance of the Reverend Michael Scott, an Anglican priest, he petitioned the United Nations.  In 1973, this led to the UN General Assembly recognising SWAPO as the sole legitimate representative of the Namibian People, and in 1978 UN Security Council Resolution 435 was adopted which set out the terms for the independence of Namibia.
This was also the period that saw the collapse of the Portuguese fascist regime, with the carnation revolution on 25^th April 1974, because of the military defeats in Angola, Mozambique and, especially, Guinea-Bissau.  This meant that South Africa, in 1975 when Angola became independent, had a frontline along the Namibian-Angolan border with independent Africa.  The South African Defence Force (SADF) invaded Angola and were driven back by the combined forces of the Angolan army, their Cuban allies and the armed forces of SWAPO and the ANC.  This raged until the SADF were comprehensively defeated at Cuito-Cuanavale in southern Angola.  This led to the negotiations for the independence of Namibia based on UNSC Resolution 435.
During this period, Sam Nujoma had been indefatigable in his international advocacy of the independence of Namibia, travelling from country to country to argue the case.  In 1989, SWAPO won the elections to form the first government of an independent Namibia, and Namibia won its independence on 21^st March 1990.  Sam Nujoma became the first President of his country.
This achievement would have been enough to secure Sam Nujoma’s reputation, but he was also a man of great vision.  He argued for and persuaded SWAPO to recognise the rights of women and children, long before they became the government of their country.  He argued for good education and good health services, and his government began to put those things into place.  He took care of his people.  He served three five-year terms as President of Namibia, and then he made one of his greatest contributions to the peace and stability of his country.  He did not seek to become President-for-life.  He retired in 2005, ensuring the peaceful transfer of power to his successor.  In 2007, he retired as President of SWAPO.  He has spent the last 18 years living quietly in Windhoek.  That is the mark of a great man.
Sam Nujoma, father of your country, Namibia, rest in power.
Sign up to receive updates and action alerts:
Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) Registered Charity Number: 1174757.
© 2025 Action for Southern Africa. All rights reserved. Design by Sarah Ferrari

source

About The Author

admin

See author's posts