Ephraim Kamati Andjengo Kapolo (1924–1967) was a Namibian activist who participated in the pre-independence movement. He was one of the early members of the

Ovamboland People's Organization The Ovamboland People's Organization (OPO) was a nationalist organization that existed between 1959 and 1960 in South West Africa (now present day Namibia). The aim of the organization was to end the South African colonial administration, and the ...

. Kapolo was an active and founding member of the South West Africa Liberation Army (SWALA), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), at the beginning of the

Namibian War of Independence The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Angol ...

Arrest

In 1966, Kapolo was arrested with other prominent members of

SWAPO The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...

following the battle of

Omugulugwombashe Omugulugwombashe (also: ''Ongulumbashe'', official: ''Omugulu gwOombashe''; Otjiherero: ''giraffe leg'') is a settlement in the Tsandi electoral constituency in the Omusati Region of northern Namibia. The settlement features a clinic and a primar ...

. He was detained without trial and held in solitary confinement in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

, South Africa for more than a year. Kapolo died in police custody in 1967 during the "terrorism trial": ''The State vs. Tuhadeleni and Others''. Among other arrested SWAPO members were;

Andimba Toivo ya Toivo Herman Andimba Toivo ya Toivo (22 August 1924 – 9 June 2017) was a Namibian anti-apartheid activist, politician and political prisoner. Ya Toivo was active in the pre-independence movement, and is one of the co-founders of the South West Afri ...

Immanuel Shifidi Immanuel Hafeni Augustus Shifidi (16 July 1929 – 30 November 1986), born in Windhoek, was a Namibian activist. He was one of the fighters at Omugulugwombashe Eliaser Tuhadeleni Eliaser Tuhadeleni (1 January 1918 – 1997) also known as Kaxumba Kandola was a Namibian anti-apartheid activist, guerrilla fighter and political prisoner. He was one of the co-founders of the Ovamboland People's Congress in Cape Town, South Af ...

John Nankudhu John ya Otto Nankudhu (1933–2011, nom de guerre: ''Koshiwanda'', the surname is sometimes also spelled Nankugu) was a Namibian guerrilla, army officer and politician. He was the commander of the forces of the People's Liberation Army of Nam ...

, they were convicted under the Terrorism Act and the majority of them were sentenced to serve time on

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...

References

1924 births 1967 deaths Deaths in police custody in South Africa Members of SWAPO Namibian independence activists Namibian people imprisoned abroad Namibian prisoners and detainees Ovambo people People from Omusati Region People's Liberation Army of Namibia personnel Prisoners and detainees of South Africa Prisoners who died in South African detention South West African anti-apartheid activists Unsolved murders in Namibia Unsolved murders in South Africa {{Namibia-bio-stub

Arrest

See also

References