Blind activist dies

MANASSE Tjijangalala, the braille instructor at the Namibian Federation of the Visually Impaired (NFVI) has died.

Tjijangalala died of a stroke on Tuesday evening after he was rushed to hospital by a family member.

According to his sister Helena Orr, he died just two hours after suffering the disabling attack.

“This is such a big shock and a loss to our family. On Tuesday, he was fine and just around six o’clock in the evening, he complained of a warm pain in his left arm and asked to be taken to hospital. My nephew then took him to Katutura State Hospital where he died two hours later. He was a go-getter and the last time we spoke, he was so excited about projects he was working on to improve the lives of visually impaired people,” Orr said.

In a recent interview with The Namibian, Tjijangalala vowed to fight for better conditions for the visually impaired. He campaigned for certain traffic lights to be removed and be substituted with others, which are friendlier to the visually impaired and also wanted the monthly bus cards, which were a challenge to recharge, to be exchanged with something more disability-friendly.

Meanwhile, the staff at the NFVI expressed their shock and sadness at Tjijangalala’s passing and the acting project manager, Mariana Ampweya, said they have been robbed of a brilliant instructor.

“He was passionate, committed and a man of his word. We are deeply hurt by his passing. He has been here since 1997 and contributed greatly to the centre, teaching different people how to read braille. It will be very difficult to replace him. May his soul rest in peace,” Ampweya said.

Tjijangalala will be laid to rest next week Saturday (7 December) in Otavi. He is survived by two sons, five sisters and a brother.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.