Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Fillipus Amutenya "Zulu" Nandenga (3 March 1943 – 11 April 2021) was a Namibian military officer whose military career began in South West African Liberational Army (SWALA) the forerunner to

People's Liberation Army of Namibia The People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) was the military wing of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). It fought against the South African Defence Force (SADF) and South West African Territorial Force (SWATF) during the Sou ...

PLAN.

Early life

In 1958 he joined the contract labour system and found a paying job at a fish tinning factory in

Walvis Bay Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The c ...

and was employed there for five years until 1963. Nandenga joined Ovamboland Peoples Organisation in 1958. In 1964 due to his political conviction he fled

South West Africa South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola ( Portuguese colony before ...

through Bechuanaland and lived in

Francistown Francistown is the second largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 103,417 and 147,122 inhabitants for its agglomeration at the 2022 census. and often described as the "''Capital of the North''" or as the natives would have it “''T ...

for a period of one year and a half joining other cadres in exile such as

Nahas Angula Nahas Gideon Angula (born 22 August 1943)Profile on Namibian parliamen ...

Helmut Angula Helmut Pau Kangulohi Angula (born 11 November 1945) is a Namibian businessman, politician, former cabinet minister and writer. He is currently the director of various private companies, after leaving government in 2010, and a longtime member of th ...

Nangolo Mbumba Nangolo Mbumba (born 15 August 1941) in Olukonda, Namibia. He is a Namibian politician who currently serves as the 2nd vice president of Namibia. A member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Mbumba has headed a number of Nami ...

. In 1966 he was then sent to

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...

PLAN career

In 1967 he was sent to

Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania M ...

. He was then sent to

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

between 1967 and 1968. After completing his military training he was then deployed to the Eastern front in Zambia from 1969 to 1972 as Commander of Group "A" whilst Group "B" was under the command of Matias Ndakolo. On the eastern front he fought the South African forces and the Portuguese forces. In late 1973 Jason Amutenya "Wanehepo" Ndandi during which unit "A" and "B" assembled and informed that a new front would be opened up in Southern

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

that would be known as the northern front and that volunteers were needed for the risky mission knowing that Portuguese forces were still present in Angola. After Matias "Mbulunganga" Ndakolo stepped forward, Nandenga also stepped forward to volunteer. This group of seventeen fighters would leave Zambia into Angola with Mbulunganga as their commander and "Zulu" was appointed the political commissar. The seventeen fighters were Matias "Mbulunganga" Ndakolo; commander, Fillipus "Zulu" Nandenga; political commissar, Elia Haulyondjaba "Hailonga"; Advisor to Commander, Wilbard "Nakada" Tashiya, Isack "Pondo" Shikongo; Commander Reconnaissance, John "Kalola" Hamukoto; 2nd Reconnaissance commander, Linus "Mawila" Hamwele, Ismael "Ngiringiri" Kamati, Erickson "Kapanya" Hauwanga, Uno "Kanana" Shaanika, Sackeus "Kapuleko" Kapulwa, John Karahani, Joao Shoopala , Manuel "Kalunga Kondjaba", Jonas "Katengela" Kataleonga, Jason Kaudeko and Amwaama Akapandi. This group crossed into Angola from Zambia. The group was given instruction to avoid Portuguese forces if possible and to not involve itself in the domestic squabbles of

UNITA The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( pt, União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the Popular Movement for ...

MPLA The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola ( pt, Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola, Abbreviation, abbr. MPLA), for some years called the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola – Labour Party (), is an Angolan left-wi ...

FNLA The National Front for the Liberation of Angola ( pt, Frente Nacional de Libertação de Angola; abbreviated FNLA) is a political party and former militant organisation that fought for Angolan independence from Portugal in the war of independenc ...

with their final destination being Oshimholo, Southern Angola. He was then appointed the Commander of the Northern Front in 1977 after the first military council meeting at Efitu. In the 1980s he was recalled from the front and sent for studies, eventually ending up at the

United Nations Institute for Namibia The United Nations Institute for Namibia (UNIN) was an educational body set up by the United Nations Council for Namibia from 1976 to 1990. Based in Zambia's capital of Lusaka, UNIN was the brainchild of United Nations Commissioner for Namibia ...

in Zambia.

NDF career

His career in a

Namibian Defence Force The Namibian Defence Force (NDF) comprises the national military forces of Namibia. It was created when the country, then known as South West Africa, gained independence from South Africa in 1990. Chapter 15 of the Constitution of Namibia estab ...

began in 1990 and he was given the rank of Warrant Officer and later being commissioned as an officer and retired with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Honours and decorations

* Most distinguished order of Namibia-First Class * Army Pioneer Medal ribbon

Namibian Army Pioneer Medal. * NDF commendation ribbon

NDF Commendation Medal

Death

Colonel Zulu Nandenga died on 11 April 2021 and was accorded a state funeral. He was laid to rest at

Eenhana Eenhana (IPA: ) is the capital town of the Ohangwena Region, northern Namibia, on the border with Angola. It also used to be a mission station of the Finnish Missionary Society. Eenhana is situated in a subtropical forest. It is connected to th ...

memorial shrine on 24 April 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nandenga, Fillipus 1943 births 2021 deaths People's Liberation Army of Namibia personnel Namibian military personnel People from Oshikoto Region