A family memorial service for veteran of the Namibian liberation struggle and Swapo stalwart, Mathias Kanana Hishoono, was held at his homestead at Onambutu village in the Eenhana Constituency of the Ohangwena Region.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has conferred a State Funeral on the late Hishoono.

An official second memorial service will take place at his homestead on 23 January, while his burial is scheduled for 24 January at the Eenhana Memorial Shrine in the Ohangwena Region.

Hishoono, a teacher, politician and headman of Onambutu village, was born at Ongula ya Netanga in 1934.

Like many boys of his generation, Hishoono grew up herding cattle and travelled as far as Oshimolo in Angola while looking after livestock.

In 1950, he began his schooling at Odibo, driven by a desire for a better future. In 1958, Hishoono left for South Africa, where he worked at a gold mine in Durban, serving as a teller at Roodepoort Deep.

He was among the founding members of the Ovamboland People’s Organisation (OPO) in 1959 and later played a key role in the formation of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) on 19 April 1960.

Hishoono actively recruited members into Swapo and is credited with recruiting the late President Hage Geingob, further assisting him to go into exile.

He later worked as a chief clerk at the Native Control Office in Tsumeb.

In the 1970s, Hishoono was imprisoned for several months at Grootfontein by the colonial authorities for allegedly instigating public violence during a meeting in Tsumeb.

Mathias Kanana Hishoono died on 14 January.

Various mourners the NBC News team spoke to described him as a hero of the liberation struggle, a brave, fearless man, a good advisor, a good listener and a walking library.