Lubango victims unhappy about ‘Butcher of Lubango’ Hawala dying without accountability

Some Lubango victims have expressed dismay over the death of retired defence force chief Solomon ‘Jesus’ Hawala (89) on 11 August without being held accountable for his alleged atrocities.

Hawala was known as the ‘Butcher of Lubango’.

This has been expressed by NamRights founder and executive director Phil ya Nangolo.

“We express our dismay and frustration over the passing yesterday morning of retired Namibian Defence Force lieutenant general Solomon ‘Jesus’ Dumeni Hawala (89) following long ill health and reclusion at his Ohakweenyaga village in the Oshana region.

“Hawala’s passing is without accountability and closure on the widespread and systematic war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, mass imprisonment, enforced disappearances,” he says.

Ya Nangolo says the summary execution perpetrated with impunity of thousands of Namibians under the care of Swapo in exile between 1974 and 1989 has robbed the people of Namibia and the international community at large.

Hawala was one of the primary eyewitnesses of one the most egregious grave breaches of customary international law in the history of Namibia, he says.

“These breaches at the direct order, instigation, insistence, tolerance or acquiescence of the late former Swapo president Sam Nujoma will go down in the annals of Namibian history as one of most heinous and reliably attested abuses of human rights on the par with only the genocidal atrocities committed by Germany troops against ethnic Nama and Herero people of Namibia between 1904 and 1908.”

Ya Nangolo urges the government to assemble a national truth and reconciliation commission to investigate the serious human rights violations committed on both sides during the liberation struggle between 1957 and 1989.

One of the Lubango survivors, Bience Gawanas, this week took to social media, saying tributes to Hawala bring back painful memories of the dungeons.

She said she suffered imprisonment for 36 years.

“I will never forget coming face to face with him during my imprisonment in the Lubango dungeons and seeing his grin,” she said.

Gawanas said they met at Grootfontein, where she refused to shake Hawala’s hand.

She said although Hawala’s death is sad for his family, forgiveness cannot come without reconciliation.

Gawanas said Hawala died with the truth, without giving the Lubango victims and their families answers.

She said she returned from Lubango to tell her story and to be a voice of those who cannot speak out.

Only Swapo has the answers, she said.

Gawanas said instead of mourning Hawala, she would rather remember those who perished in the dungeons without a trace.

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