Members of the family of Herman Toivo ja Toivo, founder member of SWAPO, visited him at the Robben Island prison on 4 March 1981. This is only the third time they have done so since his imprisonment under the Terrorism Act in 1968.
Ja Toivo's mother, Elizabeth Toivo ja Toivo, and his sister Esther, came to Robben Island from Onajema district near Ondangwa in northern Namibia. Ms. ja Toivo said that her son was in high spirits and told his visitors to pass his greetings to all the people in Namibia. She and Esther ja Toivo said that they missed Herman ja Toivo. Prior to his imprisonment he had been the family's breadwinner following his father's death, as he was the oldest child in the family of eight. They said that they were hoping to visit him again in 1982.
Elizabeth ja Toivo is over 70 years old and partially blind. In early 1972, she was visited at the family home near Ondangwa, where Herman ja Toivo had run a shop prior to his arrest, by Bishop Colin Winter of Damaraland. At that time she had been granted permission by the tribal authorities to visit Robben Island, but was being prevented from doing so by the obstruction of a local magistrate. She told Bishop Winter that her one wish was to see her son before she died. On taking the matter up with the magistrate responsible, Bishop Winter had his own permit to visit Ovamboland cancelled and was obliged to return to Windhoek.
