Danger Ashipala

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Ruben Michael Ningilanayi Ashipala or Danger Ashipala (26 August 1947 – 9 May 2010) was a Namibian police officer, military commander and military officer. Ashipala was also a guerrilla fighter and high-profile commander of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia.

Namibian war of independence[]

Ashipala was a military commander in the 1970s and 1980s with the People's Liberation Army of Namibia, the armed wing of SWAPO during the Namibian War of Independence.[1] He earned notoriety for capturing South African soldier, Johan van der Mescht, in an operation in Namibia in 1978.[2] It was widely believed in South Africa that Van der Mescht had deserted; after four years in prison in Luanda, he was eventually exchanged at Checkpoint Charlie in 1982 for Russian spy .

Later life[]

Following independence in 1989, Ashipala became a commander in the non-racial Namibian Defence Force before eventually becoming an advisor to National Chief of Police. He retired in 2007.[3] Ashipala died in his sleep on 9 May 2010 in his suburban Windhoek home at the age of 62. He was buried in his native Omusati Region next to his mother. A number of prominent national politicians attended his funeral, including President Sam Nujoma, Prime Minister Nahas Angula as well as cabinet ministers Nangolo Mbumba, Abraham Iyambo and .[4][5] In Swakopmund, a street was named after him.

In popular culture[]

The Full Circle Productions-produced film Captor and Captive, described by the local Villager newspaper as "a story of forgiveness and redemption",[6] documents Ashipala's reunion with van der Mescht after the latter's return to Namibia in 2009. It was broadcast by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in 2011.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ Danger Ashipala dies Archived 2010-05-14 at the Wayback Machine The Namibian, 11 May 2010
  2. ^ "Captor & captive : the story of Danger Ashipala and Johan Van Der Mescht - Catalog - UW-Madison Libraries". search.library.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2017-09-08.
  3. ^ Mongudhi, Tileni (11 May 2010). "Danger Ashipala dies". New Era.
  4. ^ "Danger accorded full honorary police funeral". New Era. 17 May 2010. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010.
  5. ^ "Namibia: Danger Ashipala Buried". The Namibian. 18 May 2010.
  6. ^ Mukaiwa, Martha. "Unique Story of Forgiveness". The Villager.
  7. ^ "Captor and Captive". Namibia Digital Repository. 7 May 2010.
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