August is a painful reminder for Lubango dungeon survivors, who say the month reminds them of the notorious killings and torture of Swapo Party members accused of being spies of the South African colonial regime during the liberation struggle.
Lubango dungeons were underground dugout prisons that were allegedly used to torture and kill Swapo detainees arrested for allegedly spying for South African forces.
According to the survivors, more than 4 200 Namibians allegedly disappeared during the time, and their families and fellow prisoners never heard from them again.
26 August is remembered as Heroes Day to commemorate those who have fallen in the fight against Namibia liberation.
The first bullets were fired by the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia, the military wing of Swapo, on 26 August, 1966 at Omugulugwombashe in today’s Omusati region.
Phillip Shipulwa (65), one of the survivors of the dungeons, rescued a few others and escaped from the place after being tortured.
Shipulwa says he was accused of being a spy.
“We were told to dig a big hole, big enough for us to fit in, and were told we would be trained in it and later [it would be] used to train others who were brought to the dungeons,” he says.
Shipulwa, known by his combat name as ‘Dr Kavandje’, says he joined the liberation struggle in the 1980s and was trained as a soldier before being deployed to the forests of Angola. Shipulwa says he was later called back from a military operation in the late 80s for studies.
However, after returning, he was accused of being sent by “the Boers” to destroy Swapo.
He then questioned the accusation and was told it came from the highest commander. “At the time, the commander was Sam Nujoma, commander-in-chief of the Swapo military wing,” he says.
“From there, I was beaten on my thighs and whipped on the head with a sjambok and big sticks. I was also repeatedly beaten on the head. Now, as I grow older, I cannot move properly because of my head injuries,” he says.
He says the number of people who were detained at the Lubango dungeons remain disputed, but it is estimated that it is about 1 000 people.
He says even those who accused them of being spies also ended up in the dungeons as alleged South African spies.
In 2020, The Namibian reported that Lubango survivor Tangeni Mureko said he was detained as a teenager after being accused of being a South African spy.
He describes being beaten with sticks, deprived of sleep and tied upside down during interrogation.
Earlier in 2025, survivors also renewed calls for answers and an apology following the death of founding president and former Swapo leader Sam Nujoma.
More than three decades after Namibia gained independence, survivors of the Lubango dungeons are still demanding that Swapo confront allegations of torture, unlawful detention, deaths and disappearances of people during the liberation struggle.
‘WHO ORDERED’
Lubango dungeon survivor Leefa Martin, who was detained and tortured after being accused of being an “enemy agent”, says Namibia still does not know who authorised the detentions of people in the dungeons.
“Who authorised these detentions? Who determined that someone was a spy? What evidence was required? Who conducted the interrogations? Who was responsible for the deaths and disappearances?” Martin asks.
“Some of us were abducted from places of deployment, and no one was caught doing anything wrong”, she says.
Martin says torture was widespread among those who were detained.
“My own experience leaves me in no doubt that torture and cruel treatment occurred to practically everyone who was detained,” Martin says.
Oiva Angula, another survivor who spent more than four years in the Lubango dungeons in Angola, says the silence surrounding the alleged atrocities has gone on for too long and that Namibia cannot claim to have fully confronted its past.
He says the victims and their families continue to wait for answers.
“The Swapo movement itself carried contradictions, as dreams of freedom often collided with harsh realities like power struggles, suspicion, imprisonment, violence and death,” Angula recalls.
Angula, who is the acting chairperson of Breaking the Wall of Silence (BWS), says the movement wants the experiences of former detainees and those who died in the Lubango dungeons to form part of the country’s historical record. In 2025, the organisation invited president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to an open dialogue on the Lubango legacy and restorative justice.
“Our dark past challenges us to acknowledge the real history and recognise the experiences of those affected,” he says.
Former diplomat Pius Dunaiski says Namibia must finally confront the “ghosts of Lubango” and ensure that those who suffered are duly recognised and honoured among the country’s heroes.
Dunaiski says thousands of Namibians were detained, tortured, disappeared and, in many cases, died after being accused, often falsely, of being spies.
“Closure is critical. A nation cannot selectively remember its past and expect genuine reconciliation,” he says.
