There’s a forgotten piece of Namibia’s history at Endola– the house where Eliaser Tuhadeleni took care of the first group of South West Africa Liberation Army (SWALA) fighters, known as G1.
Tuhadeleni worked as a cattle herder for the Finnish mission at Ongwediva from 1933 to 1936 and then on a farm near Outjo and at the Krantzberg mine. He left for Cape Town in 1949 and took up employment as a contract worker at a construction company and at an abattoir after failing to get admission to a vocational training institute. On his return to Namibia in 1953 he became politically active – holding public meetings and mobilizing the people. He was arrested in 1960 for his political activity and banished to an area east of Oshakati where he spent several months before returning to Endola.
Tuhadeleni had a gift for singing and music and he led the singing at Sunday church services at the Endola congregation. This earned him the nickname Kaxumba kaNdola which is translated as “The Organ of Endola”.
The G1 group left Kongwa camp in Tanzania in early March 1965 and their long journey took them through Zambia to Katima Mulilo and then through Angola and Kavango where they split up in two groups. One group proceeded to Endola on bicycles, while the other group followed on foot and arrived at Endola in August 1965.
The group of six men initially stayed at Tuhadeleni’s house and held their meetings under a huge marula tree, which served as a ‘Swapo office’ close to the house. The group was later split up to conduct political mobilization but John Nankudhu, the leader of G1, remained with Tuhadeleni at Endola until it was decided to establish a military training camp in March 1966. The first camp was set up at Otamanzi but when the security police became aware of the camp, it was moved to Uuvudhija and finally Omugulugwombashe.
When the South African Police launched an airborne attack on Omugulugwombashe on 26 August 1966, Tudhaleni took cover behind an anthill after Nankudhu ordered his men to retreat when he realised they could not withstand the fire power of the attackers. The police only found a large bird that flew away slowly when they pursued Tuhadeleni. This gave rise to the often repeated myth that he could change into different forms.
In the aftermath of the attack on Omugulugwombashe, the South African authorities distributed a poster that described him as the “Black Pimpernel of Owamboland,” and “Africa’s most wanted terrorist.” Tuhadeleni managed to evade being captured until March 1967 when he was arrested near Ondangwa.
He and 36 other Swapo members, who had been arrested in the wake of the attack on Omugulugwombashe, were taken to Pretoria, South Africa, where they were incarcerated in the Pretoria Prison until the start of the infamous Pretoria Terrorism Trail in the Pretoria High Court on 7 August 1967.
Tuhadeleni was listed as Accused Number One in the case (State versus Tuhadeleni and 36 others). His co-accused included, non-other than Herman Toivo Ya Toivo, Immanuel Shifidi and Johannes Otto Nankudhu. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with 18 co-accused six months later – on 9 February 1968. The other accused were sentenced to terms ranging from 20 years imprisonment to five years and five years, of which four years and 11 months were suspended for three years. Two of the accused were acquitted, while one was found guilty but not sentenced.
After serving 18 years in prison on Robben Island, he was released in November 1985 with 20 other SWAPO prisoners and went into exile after his release. Tuhadeleni returned to Namibia in 1989 and died in Windhoek’s Katutura Hospital in 1997. He was buried in Endola.
I am deeply indebted to Tate John Nekwaya of Ongwediva who facilitated a visit to this very historic house and the Endola cemetery at short notice.