Africa-Press – Namibia. Political analyst Sakaria Johannes says president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s decision to confer a state funeral for former Namibian Defence Force chief Solomon ‘Jesus’ Hawala might cause uncertainty about who qualifies for such an honour.
The president’s decision was made despite a moratorium she placed on state funerals and despite opposition from survivors of the Lubango dungeons this week.
Hawala was dubbed the ‘Butcher of Lubango’ because he allegedly ran Swapo detention camps in the Angolan city during Namibia’s liberation struggle.
Hawala (89), who died on Monday, will be buried at Ongwediva on 6 September.
The Cabinet on 4 July announced a moratorium on official funerals until March 2026 to review the criteria for such honours.
However, the Constitution allows the president to retain such honours.
In a statement on Thursday, Nandi-Ndaitwah recognised Hawala for his military service, leadership and “dedication to Namibia’s liberation and nation-building”, and conferred a state funeral on him.
However, political analyst Johannes on Friday said the move is a U-turn and questionable in terms of who is eligible for a state funeral.
The president also conferred a state funeral for liberation war veteran Lazarus !Guiteb, who died on 15 July.
“The question is, which state funerals were cancelled and was it applicable to all heroes or only to some? Was it really suspended and if not, why was it not communicated?” Johannes asked.
He, however, believes that Hawala is a figure in the political sphere spanning back to his sacrifice of his youth as a People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan) combatant, hence the president’s decision to grant him national hero status and a state funeral.
“It’s not wrong to do so, but in this context was it necessary after we were told there are no more state funerals and suddenly there are state funerals?” Johannes said.
He questioned what would happen if someone who is not high-ranking but considered a hero dies: “Will they too be accorded the same?”
Johannes said he foresees this decision would cause conflict and confusion in the future, particularly on the debatable issue about who qualifies.
He acknowledged that there is a policy that stipulates who should be accorded a state funeral, but argued there were people who should have been granted state funerals but were not, while some who should have been buried at Heroes’ Acre were not.
Johannes explained that honouring someone through a state funeral shows respect to a person who sacrificed their youth and died for the liberation struggle of the country, as a way of giving someone a dignified send-off to honour their sacrifice.
The founder and executive director of NamRights Inc, Phil ya Nangoloh, on Friday claimed Hawala’s state funeral outside Heroes’ Acre constitutes a smoking gun, proving that both his funeral and burial are “business as unusual”.
He noted that Hawala will not be buried at the Ongulumbashe or Eenhana national hero shrines.
“Therein lies a sense of victory for myself personally in particular and for NamRights in general as well as for all Namibians who conscientiously recognise and view ‘Jesus’ Hawala as a depraved predator, a war criminal and a criminal against humanity,” Ya Nangoloh charged on social media.
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