A new volume in the Voices of Liberation series has been launched, focusing on the life of Andimba Toivo ya Toivo and his role in Namibia's liberation struggle.

The book highlights Ya Toivo's early activism in Cape Town in the 1950s, his petitions to the United Nations, and his trial in Pretoria in the 1960s.

Author Heike Becker said the publication also explores how younger Namibians understand the legacy of Andimba Toivo ya Toiva.

The book traces the presence of Namibians in Cape Town during the 1950s, where around 200 lived and organised against apartheid.

It documents how Toivo ya Toivo and others sent petitions to the United Nations, leading to his deportation from South Africa in 1957.

The publication also revisits the 1960s trial of Ya Toivo and 36 others under apartheid laws, where he argued that Namibians were not South Africans and should not be tried under South African law.

He was later sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment and held at Robben Island, where he was detained alongside leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu.

The book also includes his 2005 retirement speech, where he addressed corruption, tribalism and the direction of the country after independence in 1990.

Professor Becker said the research includes interviews with young Namibians who continue to engage with his legacy.

The book forms part of the Voices of Liberation series and includes speeches, petitions and writings from Toivo ya Toivo and his contemporaries.