The shityuwete family has questioned the government’s decision to bury liberation struggle veteran Helao Shityuwete at Gammams Cemetery instead of Heroes’ Acre.
The family yesterday at the funeral asked the government to tell them what requirement their ‘tatekulu’ [uncle] did not meet to have accorded him a state funeral at Heroes’ Acre.
“Why was a man with such an extraordinary, undeniable liberation record not accorded a national hero’s funeral and buried at Heroes’ Acre? What requirement did he not meet?” family spokesperson Julius Ngweda asked.
Presidential spokesperson Jonas Mbambo is yet to respond to questions on the matter.
Shityuwete died on 29 August a few days after he turned 92.
He leaves Betuel Nuunyango as the only surviving member of the group of 37 Namibian nationalists who were imprisoned on Robben Island during the 1960s.
Ngweda on Friday said Shiytuwete had told the family that he wished to be buried next to his comrades, Andimba Toivo ya Toivo and Dimo Hamaambo.
His fellow prisoners, following the announcement of the state funeral on Thursday, described it as an insult to a man who spent 18 years on Robben Island fighting for a better Namibia.
Ngweda yesterday said Shityuwete had since 1998 requested that his fellow comrades, such as Eliaser Tuhadeleni, Immanuel Shifidi and Nathaniel Maxuilili be brought back from Robben Island, expressing appreciation to the government for honouring his wish.
“But as a family, we want answers. His record speaks for itself. He endured imprisonment and sacrificed precious years of his life for a free Namibia,” Ngweda said yesterday.
He said the future generation deserves to understand how the sacrifices of liberation heroes are assessed and honoured.
“We are grateful for the state funeral, but history must be properly acknowledged. We hope the question will be considered with the dignity and seriousness that Tatekulu deserves,” he said.
Ngweda expressed gratitude to the former prisoners for consistently checking up on Shityuwete.
“Friendship and commitment did not end when time became difficult. You remained present and demonstrated that the bonds forged during the struggle for freedom are bonds that can be endured for a lifetime,” he said.
“Today, we stand on the shoulders of people like him. His presence brought people together and we should not let his departure become the end of this history,” he said.
Former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner Jerry Ekandjo on Saturday said Shityuwete is a hero and that the former fellow prisoners want an answer from the government.
Namibian Former Robben Island Prisoners Trust chairperson Marten Kapewasha at the occasion said: “What can we do? We will just accept.”
Shityuwete was a firm labour advocate, fighting for the rights of all workers in the country and for the dignity of all. He started the Namibian Former Robben Island Prisoners Trust to take care of former Robben Island prisoners and their families.
Shityuwete walked to Tanganyika, now Tanzania, and back to Namibia in 1965 to start a liberation front in the country.
Many remember him as a fearless freedom fighter and a humble man who remained committed to freedom, equality and humanity.
Former prime minister Nahas Angula described him as a man of perseverance.
