Windhoek, Aug 24 — Brendan Kangongolo Simbwaye, a prominent Namibian liberation leader and teacher, has been honoured as a National Hero of Namibia, but decades after his disappearance, questions surrounding his death and the whereabouts of his remains remain unanswered.
Simbwaye played a significant role in mobilising communities in the Caprivi against colonial rule. In 1963, he resigned from teaching to dedicate himself fully to the liberation struggle. In 1964, he co-founded the Caprivi African National Union (CANU) in Malengalenga and later played a role in bringing CANU into an alliance with SWAPO.
Following his arrest in 1964, Simbwaye was detained by South African security forces and subsequently held in different parts of the country, including Windhoek, Caprivi, Warmbad and Khorixas. In 1970, he was reportedly charged with terrorism-related offences during a secret trial in Pretoria.
By 1972, Simbwaye was serving as Vice President of SWAPO. He was last seen that year while in colonial custody and is widely believed to have died under unclear circumstances. However, his remains were never formally recovered.
The Simbwaye family is now calling on the Namibian Government to seek definitive answers about what happened to the liberation icon and, importantly, establish the whereabouts of his remains.
Speaking at the Heroes acre the family have made a call to the Government to engage its South African counterpart and pursue all available avenues to establish the circumstances surrounding Simbwaye’s disappearance and death.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has heard the family’s appeal and indicated that the Government will seek to establish what happened to Simbwaye.
The family’s call comes as Simbwaye’s legacy continues to be commemorated in Namibia. His name lives on through Brendan Simbwaye Square in Katima Mulilo, schools and public infrastructure named in his honour, as well as his recognition as one of Namibia’s national liberation heroes.
More than five decades after his disappearance, the search for answers remains part of the unfinished chapter of Simbwaye’s legacy. For his family, national recognition is important—but so too is knowing the truth about what happened to him and where his remains are.
