Andimba Herman Toivo JA TOIVO, released on 1 March 1984 after 16 years imprisonment on Robben Island, was a guest of honour at the IDAF annual conference in London in May.
In an address to IDAF delegates and guests, Ja Toivo said that he was able to be present because of the 'determined efforts and sacrifices made by our people, the steadfastness of our movement, and the continuing solidarity we have received from the International Defence and Aid Fund and other organisations'.
'Your solid support for our cause over the years has played an important role in our struggle', he added.
Paying tribute to the late Canon John Collins who set up the fund which grew into the IDAF, he said that 'sometimes it helps when you are locked up to know that there are others outside who will take your place and continue the task of advancing the liberation struggle'.
'Likewise, it helps to know that friends and comrades throughout the world are with you and will continue to do all they can to assist the cause. Sometimes we feel there are friends who are with us in prison because we know of their dedication and the role they play and you can sense them even behind bars'.
The late Reverend Michael Scott and Bishop Colin Winter were two other British friends who had done so much for Namibia's cause and who would be equally remembered for generations to come, Ja Toivo said.
Turning to the circumstances of his own unexpected release, four years short of the expiry of his term, Ja Toivo said that 'most of you are aware of the current moves being made concerning the future of Namibia and there is no doubt that my release and my presence here today can be partially explained within this context. But there is no doubt that the international campaign conducted by you and other friends throughout the world including my organisation SWAPO has played a crucial role in forcing the South African regime to release me, the 54 Kassinga detainees from Hardap Dam at Mariental and 15 others from Robben Island a few days ago.
'As someone who has just come out of prison I would like to tell you how important it is for you to continue to persist in your demand for the release of the many political prisoners held in South African gaols, as well as assisting where possible in relief work for those who have lost their husbands and sons and can no longer maintain themselves.
'Many of you have heard or read of the conditions on the infamous Robben Island, although news from there is strictly controlled and therefore limited. It is not a place where human beings could normally be expected to live. So those of us who have been imprisoned there were aware that it was not only the length of our sentences that we had to face, but also the whole environment - climate, labour, general conditions - designed to break us.
'But let me tell you this - we refused to surrender or succumb either to natural or man-made hardships on that island.
'The spirit of the comrades on the island is strong. This applies to Namibians and South Africans, including Comrade Nelson Mandela, when he was on the island. Mandela and other ANC leaders became known to me during our stay on the island and we came to form a close bond of comradeship. This has meant a lot to me as a person and was undoubtedly a vital factor that sustained me during my imprisonment.'
Commenting on the settlement talks that had been held in Lusaka a few days previously, 11-13 May, Ja Toivo said that, just as at Geneva more than three years before, SWAPO had gone to the meeting prepared to sign a ceasefire. 'But South Africa obviously still fears it is 'premature' to do so', he said.
'What is clear is that South Africa does not intend to settle the question of Namibia on the basis of the UN plan', he added. 'They are trying to circumvent this plan and find another arrangement that might help them to fix the outcome of any election and so continue to control Namibia.
'Any observer of events in Southern Africa can clearly see the American hand in South Africa's manoeuvres. So, what are we expected to do? After all these years of hard struggle and sacrifice are we to succumb to this form of blackmail? No, we remain resolutely committed to pursuing our stated goal - the genuine national independence of our country.
'Sixteen years ago in Pretoria I said that "we knew that the road would be long and hard - the struggle will be long and bitter". It has been so indeed! And precisely because it has been, we cannot give up now. When there is the chance of freedom, when that ray of hope appears, we will be the first to acknowledge it. And we are proud of it. But so far, there is still no indication that the South African regime is prepared to let go of Namibia.
Ja Toivo also referred to the role and responsibilities of Britain towards Namibia, as the country which accepted the League of Nations mandate over the territory in 1919 and handed it over to South Africa.
'There was a time when people in Namibia, felt that Britain would stand by us', he said, 'but this hope has been dashed by Britain's consistent vetoes at the United Nations Security Council'. He called on the British government and people to break their close ties with South Africa and to support the Namibian cause.
'Our struggle is not an isolated one', Ja Toivo concluded. 'It is a struggle for peace and justice. We know that we carry the main burden ourselves. But we also know that, with your support, it is a struggle that must be waged until victory is won'.
