Richard Kapelwa Kabajani

Richard Kapelwa Kabajani (1943-17 May 2007) was a Namibian activist, rebel militant, diplomat and politician. Kabajani was a military commander for SWAPO during the Namibian War of Independence.

Early life

Kabajani was born in the Caprivi Region in the village of Ivilivinzi, 117 km from Katima Mulilo. He attended school in Botswana from 1955 to 1964. While in Botswana, he attended Ngoma Primary School and Mulumba Mission School and in the later years developed an interest in politics. He was classmates of fellow future People's Liberation Army of Namibia combatant Greenwell Matongo and future traditional ruler of the Mafwe people Mamili Boniface Bebi.[1]

Career

In 1964, Kabajani joined SWAPO and was sent to Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Mbeya, Tanzania for military training. During the War of Independence, the Caprivi native was one of the first fighters to engage the South African Defence Forces in the northeastern Caprivi Region. In 1986, he became special assistant to SWAPO leader and future President Sam Nujoma. During the run-up to Namibia's independence, Kabajani was elected to the Constituent Assembly of Namibia, which wrote the Namibian Constitution. He also was chosen by SWAPO to be in the 1st (1990-1995) and 2nd National Assemblies of Namibia. From 2000-2004, he was Namibia's ambassador to Cuba. Kabajani retired in 2004 and died on 17 May 2007 at Caprivi State Hospital. He was buried at Heroes Acre national memorial outside of Windhoek.[2]

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