Okahandja: Tributes have poured in for Senior Ovambanderu Traditional Authority councillor Gerson Kunomundu Katjirua, whose enduring dedication significantly bolstered the Swapo Party, particularly within the Omaheke Region. Katjirua passed away on April 27, 2025, at the age of 84 and was laid to rest at the Ovambanderu Heroes’ Acre in Okahandja on Sunday. His relentless efforts for the party were fondly remembered by speakers at his funeral.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Katjirua began his involvement with Swapo in 1984 following the Consultative Conference in Lusaka, Zambia, where he attended with Chief Munjuku Nguvauva II. Ruth Kaukuata-Mbura, Swapo’s coordinator for the Omaheke Region, recounted Katjirua’s pivotal role in providing refuge to PLAN fighters pursued by colonisers in Epukiro. “I remember the late Nickey Iyambo recalled him at one meeting as one of the people who took care of them when they fled to Epukiro to hide from the colonisers,” she stated.
Swapo Elders Council central committee
member Dr. Kaire Mbuende remembered meeting Katjirua in late 1989. He recalled the Ovambanderu Council’s decision to support Swapo in the 1990 elections, a move Katjirua passionately advocated for through his courage. Dr. Mbuende, who is the Director General of the National Planning Commission, described Katjirua as a principled and knowledgeable leader. “Katjirua respected himself and others, that’s why most people treated him as such,” Mbuende added.
Katjirua was also remembered as a gifted orator and was noted for the horse gifted by the Ovambanderu community to Founding President Sam Nujoma upon his arrival in Gobabis, which belonged to Katjirua. Meanwhile, members of the Ovambanderu community expressed their disappointment over the government’s decision not to grant Katjirua an official funeral. Recognised as a war veteran of the liberation struggle, Katjirua was the chairperson of the genocide negotiations committee and a key Swapo figure in Epukiro and the Ovambanderu community.
Freddy Ueriurika Nguv
auva, the special advisor to the Supreme Council, voiced his dismay at the government’s stance towards such a prominent public figure. “We have made all the arrangements expected for the processes of an official funeral, but there was no response from the government,” Nguvauva lamented. Joining the Ovambanderu in their discontent was Popular Democratic Movement president McHenry Venaani, who expressed disappointment that President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah attended the Omagongo Festival while the Ovambanderu people mourned a hero vital to their community and a known Swapo member.
“Even Vice President Lucia Witbooi is not here. This is the death of a national hero and it seems the government prioritised the Omagongo Festival,” Venaani remarked. President Nandi-Ndaitwah’s speech at the funeral was delivered on her behalf by the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Inge Zaamwani.