Archbishop Petrus ‘Katikisa’ Tjijombo has been accorded an official funeral, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology has announced.

Tjijombo died at his residence in Windhoek on 16 July, aged 87.

The ministry in a media release announced that he has been accorded an official funeral and will be laid to rest at Otjiuaneho cemetery in the Otjinene Constituency of the Omaheke Region on Sunday.

The burial will be preceded by a memorial service at Tjijombo’s homestead at Otjiuaneho village on Saturday.

An official funeral is accorded to a person who has made significant contributions to the country as a way of honouring the person’s life and achievements. The government pays for all of the expenses associated with the funeral.

“The late Archbishop Tjijombo was born on 01 October 1936 at Okanehova village, north west of Opuwo in the Kunene Region. He joined politics through the chiefs council as part of the advisory team,” the ministry said in the statement.

He joined the Swapo Party in 1960 and amongst a host of other deeds, was part of a group of people who were against the forceful removal of people from the Old Location in Windhoek. He also played a significant role in mobilising and enhancing political activities.

Despite facing a ban on his political mobilisation activities in Otjinene, he continued undercover work from his house at Otjiuaneho, transporting Swapo Party materials in and out of the country. As a result, he became a target of the colonial armed forces, with his family labelled as terrorists.

In 1980, he disguised a mission to Lusaka to collect funds for political activities, but the information was leaked to the apartheid forces, leading to his arrest and torture at the Buitepos border post along with two others.

Throughout the years, Archbishop Tjijombo played pivotal roles in assisting his compatriots in joining the liberation struggle. He was appointed bishop in 1977 and later ordained as an archbishop in 2008. He also served in the Swapo Party Elders’ Council Central Committee.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency