Grace to the Nation Info-Page

AN ARTICLE FROM AFRICA TO AFRICA, posted on Facebook and other Platforms of Laban Mwashekele—nom de guerre Sh*tundeni Ya Shixungileni (Ngobe Ya Shilongo yOmana Kaahangika)—every Friday, signed, signalled, and sent from the desk of GRACE TO THE NATION.

Article Number 0047—designed to inform the minds, reform the hearts, and transform the wills of God’s people in and around Africa.

WHAT IS GRACE TO THE NATION?

Grace to the Nation—Laban Mwashekele—Multipurpose Centre (GTTN LMMPC) is not a church, but a Focal Field Force (FFF)—Etanga lElitaalelo Oshipala nOshipala nOshinengalonga—AND SERVANT OF THE LOCAL CHURCHES, established to uphold the two theological positions:
1. The theology of worship and worship ethics, ordained from divine sovereignty and
2. The theology of work and work ethics, designed for human responsibility.

These two theological positions promote two biblical mandates:
• The Cultural Mandate (Genesis 1:26-28) and
• The Christian Mandate (Matthew 28:18-20) as it is engraved on the logo of GTTN LMMPC and its multiple ministries.

GTTN LMMPC has Multiphase GROUND FORCES, including:
1. Classical Christian Private School CC
2. Theological Training in Northern Namibia (TTNN)
3. Preaching and Preachers Forum Part-01 and Part-02 (two WhatsApp pages)
4. Classical Effective Farming CC
5. An Article from Africa to Africa, signed, signalled, and sent from the desk of GTTN, and other GROUND FORCES, designed to serve local evangelical churches, national reforming missions and effective biblical evangelism.

Although GTTN LMMPC is not a church, as I said earlier, it has multiple ministries called “saving boats”, listening every moment to the call, designed to save souls from sinking ships—neglected local congregations or left-behind Christian denominations in and around Namibia in particular and Africa South in general—delighted in
• strengthening the weak
• attending the sick
• bandaging the injured
• bringing back the strayed and
• searching for the lost. Ezekiel‬ ‭34‬:‭4

THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN NAMIBIA PENNED FROM AN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE — PART — 007

📍🇳🇦
In the previous article, Article 0046 of THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN NAMIBIA — PART 006 — under the five headings and several subheadings—namely:
1. THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY (LMS)
2. THE RHENISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY (RMS)
3. THE FINNISH MISSIONARY SOCIETY (FMS)
4. THE LATE COMERS AFTER THE SCRAMBLE OVER AFRICA, INCLUDING:

• THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (RCC)
• THE ANGLICAN CHURCH (AC)
• THE BAPTIST CHURCH (BC)
• THE DUTCH REFORMED CHURCH (DRC)
• THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL (AME) CHURCH ETC

5. THE RECENT ARRIVAL FROM AMERICA, INCLUDING THE CHRISTIAN CATHOLIC APOSTOLIC CHURCH (CCAC), inclusive of:

• THE APOSTOLIC FAITH MISSION (AFM),
• THE FULL GOSPEL CHURCH OF GOD (FGCoG)
• THE PENTECOSTAL PROTESTANT CHURCH (PPC) ETC—I have dealt with one of the fourth heading:
“THE ANGLICAN CHURCH IN NAMIBIA (ACIN) — Phase 002 — tried to bring to your attention the history of an individual, Tatekulu Reverend (Tkl Rev) Ingashikuka Theophilus Hamitumbangela, preceded by a summary of individuals, including that of
1. William Wilberforce of the Church of England’s famous quote

2. Andrew Murray Jr. of the Dutch Reformed Church’s famous moral and social-political action

3. William Carey of the Particular Baptist Mission Society’s famous moral and social-political statement

4. Charles Haddon Spurgeon of the Particular Baptist Tradition’s famous moral and social-political position

5. Laban Mwashekele of the Evangelical Baptist Church in Namibia, known for his famous moral and social-political standpoint.

In this article, Article Number 0047, I will continue to deal with the subject, THE ANGLICAN CHURCH IN NAMIBIA — Phase 003, and next week, God willing, approach THE HISTORY OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NAMIBIA (RCCIN) in article number 0048

📍🇳🇦
Let us then continue with the history of the Anglican Church in Namibia, phase 003, which examines the role of key leaders. In this case, I will examine the first five non-African bishops who led the Anglican Church in former South West Africa (now Namibia) in the early days, their roles, and the consequences. I will start with the first bishop of the Diocese.

Those of you who are not familiar with my articles—reading my article for the first time, I advise you to please search for my Article Number 0045, and start there to familiarise yourself with my elaboration on the last five indigenous bishops, from
• The Sixth Bishop, late Tkl Hamupanda James Kaulume
• The Suffragan Retired Bishop, Tkl Nghidulika Petrus Nghilukilwa
• The Seventh Bishop, Tkl Shiyala Nehemiah Hamupembe
• The Eighth Bishop, Late Tkl Ndaxuma Nathaniel Nakwatumba and
• The Ninth Current Bishop, Tkl Handuutale Patrick Djuulume

Before I dive into the lives and ministries of the English and American Bishops, let me remind you again that the lives of these English and American Individuals were not holier than the times and contexts in which they served.

All of them were either liberal theologians or products of liberalism. Most of them were baptised into politics. Whereas most white pastors who served on the other side of the coin at their time, especially most Baptist, Evangelical, or Reformed pastors, held to apartheid ideology, most black pastors were immersed in their liberation theology.

THE QUESTION!
Why should we study their history, which seems to reopen wounds that are either healing or already healed?

THE ANSWER IS:
We study to avoid falling into the same mistake—directly or indirectly. History repeats itself. Remember, most of these men were not fighting to bring about change; all they wanted was to be treated equally with those who worked and earned their hard-earned wealth, even if some of them were not as effective producers as active consumers. Most of them were egalitarians—who demand equality even where nature, human logic or the Bible contradicts them—not complementarians.

Let me explain
When blacks governments—which these bishops fought for, in all of Africa South, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, etc.—took over power, none of them had brought their country to the world makers with anything made in Africa or efficiently transformed their societies, apart from what they had copied from elsewhere and made it theirs.

What we know about African leaders is that
• Firstly, they were all against apartheid until it was abolished in the 1990s

• Secondly, they started blaming colonialism for their idleness and non-effectiveness until their own children dismissed their argument on colonialism—the born-free do not see the need to be reminded about colonialism; what they want is delivery, not blame shifts

• Thirdly, they turned against each other,
⁃ Creating more new political parties
⁃ Calling each other foreigners and accusing each other of taking each other's jobs—the list of their useless ideas is endless.

It is one thing to fight for independence, and another to fight to get on the throne and become part of the system you were fighting against, because you do not have a God-given vision to transform a nation to be active, effective and efficient in a competitive, coherent, and comprehensive world.

Let us examine the history of these white liberal Bishops and evaluate whether their fight for black people was a worthwhile course or not. Let us start with the first Anglican Bishop.

📍🇳🇦
1. Who was the first Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of former South West Africa, which was called the Diocese of Damaraland, and now called the Diocese of Namibia?

The first Anglican bishop was Nelson Wellesley Fogarty. He took office when the missionary diocese was officially created in the year 1924, based in Windhoek.

Background: He was a former military chaplain for the South African forces during World War I.

Tenure Start: Appointed as the first bishop in 1924 when the Diocese of Damaraland was established and laid this responsibility on the shoulders of his successor in 1933.

📍🇳🇦
• What role did Nelson W. Fogarty Play During his Tenure?

He served as the first Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Damaraland (now Namibia) from 1924 until 1933. His role was primarily foundational, establishing and shaping the early institutional

Diocesan Pioneer: He was consecrated in 1924 as the pioneering leader to officially organise and head the newly created South West Africa (Damaraland) diocese.

Missionary Expansion: In August 1924, alongside George Tobias and Reverend R. White, he travelled to the northern Ovamboland to expand church operations.

Establishment of St. Mary's Mission: He and George Tobias are co-founders of the St. Mary's Mission Parish at Odibo. This parish became the foundational “mother church” of all parishes within the modern Anglican Diocese of Namibia.

Social and Educational Upliftment: His administration laid the groundwork for nation-building by constructing early schools, fostering social cohesion, and providing spiritual care. This era also famously introduced one of the region's earliest printing presses, which published the first Anglican materials in the local Oshikwanyama language.

For more information about Bishop Nelson Wellesley Fogarty, visit my previous article, Article Number 0046 of THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN NAMIBIA — Phase 006 on my Facebook and other WhatsApp pages.

📍🇳🇦
• The Caretaker Bishop Figures Christopher Charles Watts in the Succession Line. Who is he in the Succession Line?

Christopher Charles Watts (frequently recorded as Charles Christopher Watts) is historically positioned as a prominent 20th-century Anglican bishop in the succession line of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

• Historical Position and Succession Line:
Born in 1877 and passing on in 1958, his active line of episcopal succession and caretaking roles include the following appointments:

• Bishop of St Helena (1931–1934):
He succeeded Bishop Harold Verner Turner to become the 7th Bishop of St Helena.

• Bishop of Damaraland (1935–1939):
Following his tenure at St Helena, he was translated to Namibia (then Damaraland), succeeding Bishop Nelson Fogarty to become Caretaker Bishop of Damaraland.

• The “Caretaker” Concept in His Ministry:
The term "caretaker" in its historical context reflects his foundational and administrative assignments within the region. Before his elevation to the episcopate, he was heavily relied upon by the Archbishop of Cape Town to handle difficult, transitional missionary work. Most notably, he served as the Director of the Swaziland Mission from 1920 to 1927, establishing vital educational and ecclesiastical infrastructure during a period of transition before Swaziland eventually formed its own independent diocese.

📍🇳🇦
2. Who was the Second Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the former South West Africa, which is now called the Diocese of Namibia?

The second Anglican Bishop is George Wolfe Robert Tobias, whom they have nicknamed “Tate Lukenge”, who took it from Charles Christopher Watts, served as the Caretaker Bishop who followed Forgaty from 1935 to 1938, a three-year tenure.

Bishop George Wolfe Robert Tobias “Tate Lukenge” served in the diocese from 1939 to 1949, succeeding the first bishop, Nelson Fogarty, and the caretaker bishop, Christopher Charles Watts, in the line of succession.

Who is George Wolfe Robert Tobias? Wikipedia states that George Wolfe Robert Tobias (1882–1974), affectionately known locally in Northern Namibia as Tate Lukenge, was an influential English-born missionary and military veteran, and the second Anglican Bishop of Damaraland (now Namibia) from 1939 to 1949.

📍🇳🇦
• What role did George Wolfe Robert Tobias Play During his Tenure?

Reverend George Wolfe Robert Tobias was a foundational missionary leader and the second Anglican Bishop of Damaraland from 1939 to 1949. He is celebrated for driving the expansion of the Anglican Church in the whole of Northern and Eastern Namibia and transforming regional healthcare, language, and education

During his Decades of Service, Tobias Played Several Vital Roles:

1. Core Founder of St. Mary’s Mission Odibo
In 1924, Reverend Tobias travelled to the far north of Namibia and reached Odibo, where he co-founded St. Mary's Mission with Bishop Nelson Fogarty under a tree. Rather than just erecting a church building, Bishop Tobias built a multifaceted community hub that served as the primary launching pad for Anglican evangelism, education, and health ministry in one of the former regions of Ovamboland.

2. Multi-Skilled Community Leader
Affectionately given the name “Tate Lukenge,” Tobias did not restrict himself to traditional preaching. To build up the local community, he dynamically stepped into various daily operational roles:
• Medical Practitioner: He served as a community doctor and dentist, healing the sick.

• Craftsman: He actively worked as a builder and carpenter to physically construct the mission infrastructure.

3. Linguistic Pioneer and Publisher
Under his guidance, St. Mary’s Mission housed one of Namibia’s earliest printing presses. Tobias utilised this technology not only to print religious texts but also to publish the first Anglican literature in Oshikwanyama language, effectively preserving and establishing a written foundation for the regional dialect.

4. Theological Educator
Tobias prioritised empowering the local population by spearheading formal theological training. In the 1930s, he personally trained Gabriel Namueja and Lazarus Haihambo—two former students of the mission school—who were later ordained as the first two indigenous African priests of the Anglican Church in Namibia.

5. Bishop of Damaraland (1939–1949)
Following the retirement of Bishop Nelson Fogarty, Tobias was consecrated as Bishop on April 25, 1939. He relocated to Windhoek to oversee the entire diocese, steering the church through the immense challenges of World War II and the immediate post-war era. Despite the vast geographical distances and a lack of modern transportation, he regularly travelled his diocese via donkey cart and ox-wagon to conduct confirmations.

📍🇳🇦
• The Second Caretaker Anglican Bishop of the then Diocese of Damaraland between George Wolfe Robert Tobias, the second Bishop, and John Dacre Vincent, the third Bishop, was Cecil William Alderson, who served from 1950 to 1953.

📍🇳🇦
• What role did Cecil William Alderson play during his tenure in Namibia?

During his tenure from 1950 to 1953 as bishop, Alderson operated within a highly challenging, vast, and politically tense environment overseen by the South African apartheid administration. His primary responsibilities and impact during this period concentrated on several key areas:

Diocesan and Administrative Leadership

• Overseeing a Vast Jurisdiction:
He managed an enormous geographic territory stretching across the entirety of South West Africa (now Namibia). He provided pastoral care to a highly scattered and racially segregated flock.

• Transition and Continuity:
He filled the vacancy left by the long-serving and highly regarded Bishop George Tobias. Alderson focused heavily on maintaining the institutional stability of the Anglican Church's local missions during this leadership transition

Supporting Key Mission Centres

• The Odibo Mission (St. Mary's):
He directly supported the operations of St. Mary’s Mission in Odibo near the northern border. Under his broader episcopate, this mission remained a critical hub for indigenous education, localised healthcare, and theological training.

• Nurturing Future Leaders:
By maintaining the infrastructure of Anglican schools and churches, Alderson's administration indirectly nurtured a generation of young Black Namibians who would eventually lead the national liberation struggle and founding movements like SWAPO.

Navigation of Colonial and Apartheid Realities

• Early Resistance Foundations:
While his short tenure preceded the highly vocal, anti-apartheid prophetic activism of later bishops (such as Colin Winter), Alderson's time was marked by navigating the growing strictures of the South African regime.

• Defending Church Autonomy:
He worked to safeguard the Church’s right to minister to all racial groups, laying early groundwork for the Anglican Church’s historic reputation as a key institutional defender of human dignity in Namibia.

Alderson later transitioned from Namibia to serve as the Bishop of Mashonaland (in modern-day Zimbabwe). Still, his brief period in Damaraland was vital in anchoring the diocese during the volatile early years of the implementation of formal apartheid policy.

📍🇳🇦
3. Who was the third Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of former South West Africa, now known as the Diocese of Namibia?

The third Anglican Bishop of the Diocese was John Dacre Vincent.

📍🇳🇦
• What role did Bishop John Dacre Vincent play during his tenure?

During his tenure from 1952 to 1960, Reverend John Dacre Vincent served as the third Bishop of the Diocese of Damaraland (now known as the Diocese of Namibia)

His leadership during this era was defined by the following key roles and most crucial contributions:

1. Overseeing Liturgical and Language Translations
Bishop Vincent focused heavily on expanding the church's reach into northern Namibia, particularly among the Ovambo people. Under his tenure, the diocese authorised and published critical vernacular liturgical materials, including the 1957 Omalinjongameno Ōngeleka (the Book of Common Prayer translated into the Kwanyama language). This allowed native Namibian congregations to worship and access Anglican theology in their own language.

2. Managing the Church During Early Apartheid Pressures
Vincent governed the diocese during a challenging transitional period following the implementation of the Group Areas Act and early apartheid policies by the South African administration in South West Africa (Namibia). His role required navigating the increasingly restrictive conditions imposed on the church's educational and medical missions, particularly in northern regions such as the St. Mary Mission in Odibo.

3. Maintaining Institutional Continuity
Before being elevated to the episcopate in Namibia, Vincent gained extensive administrative experience as the Archdeacon of Bloemfontein. He utilised this background to maintain the financial and institutional stability of the geographically vast diocese, acting as a structural bridge between the earlier missionary-pioneer era and the highly political, activist era of his successors (such as Bishops Robert Mize and Colin Winter).

Overview of Early Bishops
1. First Bishop Nelson Wellesley Fogarty (1924–1933)
• Caretaker Bishop Charles Christopher Watts (1935–1938)
2. Second Bishop George Wolfe Robert Tobias (1939–1949)
• Caretaker Bishop Cecil William Alderson (1950–1953)
3. Third Bishop John Dacre Vincent (1952–1960)
4. Fourth Bishop Robert Herbert Mize, Jr. (1960–1968)
5. Fifth Bishop Colin O'Brien Winter (1968–1981)
6. Sixth Bishop James Hamupanda Kauluma (1981–1998) — Sixth diocesan bishop.

🇳🇦
4. The Fourth Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Damaraland was Robert Herbert Mize Jr.

Who is Robert Herbert Mize Jr.,
Robert Herbert “Bob” Mize Jr. (1907—2000) was an American Episcopal clergyman who served as the Bishop of Damaraland in southwestern Africa (present-day Namibia) from 1960 until his expulsion in 1968 (or 1970, as some accounts state), due to his outspoken opposition to the apartheid government of South Africa.

1. Life and Career

• Early Career:
Born in Kansas, he initially worked as a journalist and a United Press newspaperman before turning to the ministry.

• Social Work:
Ordained in 1932, he became known as "Father Bob". He founded the St. Francis Boys' Home in Ellsworth, Kansas, focusing on the rehabilitation and care of troubled youths through forgiveness and understanding rather than strict discipline.

• Episcopate in Africa:
He was consecrated as Bishop of Damaraland in 1960, overseeing the Anglican diocese in Namibia and parts of Botswana, where his egalitarian views and stance against racial segregation led to direct conflict with authorities.

He held to an egalitarian position rather than propagating a complementarian view of life:
• Egalitarianism is a political and social philosophy centred on the belief that all people are equal in fundamental worth, moral status, and rights. Core aspects include political and social equality, as well as economic fairness

• Complementarianism is a theological view holding that men and women are equal in value and dignity, but have different, non-interchangeable roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life, and religious leadership.

📍🇳🇦
• What role did Robert Herbert "Bob" Mize Jr. play during his tenure in Namibia?

During his tenure in Namibia (then known as South West Africa), Robert Mize Jr. served as the Bishop of the Diocese from 1960 until his expulsion by the South African regime in 1968. As the leader of the Anglican Church in the territory, his role was defined by spiritual leadership, community development, and ecclesiastical resistance to institutionalised racism, among other things.

2. Key Contributions and Actions

• Ecclesiastical Leadership:
He managed the Anglican Diocese of Namibia, overseeing parishes, the training of local priests, and critical mission centres, such as Odibo in northern Namibia.

• Bridging Political and Social Divides:
Mize used his position to facilitate dialogue among anti-apartheid figures. Notably, in 1961, his home in Windhoek served as a meeting place where progressive activists engaged with influential nationalist leaders, including Clemens Kapuuo of the Herero Chiefs' Council.

• Challenging the Apartheid Regime:
He actively supported local clergy and human rights. When a joint Lutheran and Catholic delegation protested the torture of political detainees by South African police in northern Namibia, Bishop Mize stood in solidarity with them.

• Expulsion from Namibia
Because he refused to remain passive under the oppressive laws of the South African occupation, the Pretoria government designated him an "undesirable" resident.

In 1968, while he was attending the Lambeth Conference in London, the South African authorities officially refused to renew his residence permit, effectively deporting him and ending his physical ministry in Namibia. His expulsion set a precedent, as his immediate successors (Bishops Colin Winter and Richard Wood) were also subsequently deported for their fierce opposition to apartheid.

📍🇳🇦
Caution
There is some oral information indicating that individual white Christians from St. George Cathedral in Windhoek have organised themselves to oust the two Bishops—Bishop Mize and Bishop Wither. Their expulsion must not be blamed solely on the South African regime. The Anglican Church has been restless. It has been in conflicts—having good and bad histories; God knows how His church has tested good and bad days.

📍🇳🇦
5. Who was the Fifth Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Damaraland now known as the Diocese of Namibia?

The fifth Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Damaraland, now known as the Diocese of Namibia, was Colin O'Brien Winter, who served from 1968 until he was deported from South West Africa and banned by the South African apartheid regime in 1972

📍🇳🇦
• Who is Colin O'Brien Winter?

Colin O'Brien Winter, born in 1928 and died in 1981, was an English Anglican bishop who served as Bishop of Damaraland, a diocese of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa) coextensive with the territory of what is now Namibia during the apartheid era.

📍🇳🇦
• What Role did Bishop Colin Winter play during his tenure as an Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of what is now known as Namibia?

Bishop Winter served as the outspoken Anglican Bishop of Damaraland (now Namibia) from 1968, playing a crucial role in opposing South African apartheid, supporting the 1971–1972 contract migrant workers' strike, and continuing his advocacy as "bishop-in-exile" after being deported by the regime in 1972.

• Opposition to Apartheid and Human Rights Abuses:
Denounced South Africa's illegal occupation and racial segregation policies in Namibia.

Supported joint historic pastoral and open letters with Lutheran church leaders accusing the South African administration of systemic human rights violations.

Provided a prophetic voice for the marginalised local population when other international institutions remained silent.

• Support for Labour and the Liberation Struggle:
Vigorously backed the 1971–1972 nationwide strike of African contract workers protesting exploitative labour practices.

Defended detainees, offered pastoral care to political prisoners, and assisted local communities suffering under state repression.

Maintained his canonical role as Bishop-in-Exile at the request of the diocesan synod.

Operated the Namibia International Peace Centre in the United Kingdom, raising international awareness for Namibian independence until he died in 1981.

📍🇳🇦
• THE GREAT SCHISM BETWEEN THE LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE ANGLICANS—How the Church of England in South Africa and the Anglican Church of Southern Africa formed two camps in Namibia—

The Anglican division splits into two main branches: the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ASCA) and the historically separate evangelical group originally tied to the Church of England in South Africa (CESA), reflecting differing views on scripture, governance, and social

Theological and Historical:

• Differences Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ASCA):
Operates as part of the worldwide Anglican Communion under the historical metropolitan authority, maintaining a broad-church, liturgical, and historically prophetic stance on social justice issues—high-church worship style.

• Church of England in South Africa / REACH SA:
Focuses on strict reformed evangelical theology, low-church worship style, and traditional biblical interpretations, operating independently from the historic episcopal hierarchy of the broader communion

📍🇳🇦
• WHO IS PETER TANYENGENGE KALANGULA IN THIS SCHISM

In the context of the Namibian church schism, Bishop Peter Tanyengenge Kalangula was the leader who broke away from the mainstream Anglican Church in 1969 to establish the Owambo Independent Church.

Core Role in the Schism

• The Dispute:
While training to be an Anglican priest at St. Mary’s Mission in Odibo, Kalangula had a severe disagreement with the Anglican Bishop of Damaraland, Bishop Colin Winter. Kalangula accused the church leadership of discrimination and dictating terms to local leaders

• The Breakaway:
Refusing to be ordained as a priest under the existing structure, Kalangula used his massive support among local students and congregants to split from the Anglican Church.

• The Independent Movement:
He founded the Owambo Independent Church (later associated with the Church of England in South Africa), serving as its Bishop. This was a highly significant regional schism, seen by his followers as a bold stand for local self-determination against external, foreign church control.

• Political Context
This religious schism was deeply intertwined with Namibian politics during the liberation era. Kalangula was an Ovambo nationalist who went on to become a major internal political figure, serving as the President of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) from 1980 to 1982 and leading the Christian Democratic Action for Social Justice (CDA). His actions remain a highly debated chapter of Namibian history, recently brought back into the spotlight by the biography titled A Namibian of Stature.

📍🇳🇦
• What Was the Course for Kalunga to Leave the Anglican Church of Southern Africa?

• Episcopal Disagreement:
Kalangula sought a distinct diocese for northern Namibia (Ovamboland), a move Bishop Winter did not support.

• Denied Priesthood Ordination:
Because of this major dispute, Kalangula was ordained only as a deacon and was blocked from being ordained as a priest within the official diocese.

• Political and Homeland Dynamics:
Supported by external South African factors, he and other nationalist figures broke away to form the independent Ovamboland Anglican Church, later aligning with the Church of England in South Africa (now REACH-Namibia), where he was ordained as a priest in 1979.

📍🇳🇦
WHAT ROLE DID REV. TTK BISHOP TAVANYENGENGE PETER KALANGULA ROLE?

Bishop Tanyengenge Peter Kalangula (1926–2008) was a prominent and highly influential Namibian religious leader, politician, and farmer. His unique leadership in the country marks his legacy during its liberation era, when he served as a regional prime administrator, and later by his departure from mainstream denominations to pioneer an independent church movement. His middle name, Tanyengenge (often shortened to Tany), means "he cannot be controlled".

Religious Leadership and Church Splits

His fierce independence defined Kalangula's journey into the ministry:

• Anglican Church Rift:
He began theological studies in 1966 to become an Anglican priest. However, following a strong disagreement and dispute with the Head of the Synod of Damaraland, Bishop Colin Winter, he chose to walk away from the Catholic position within the Anglican Mission to the Evangelical vision.

• Independent Movement:
As I said earlier, after gaining significant support from local students and followers who opposed external control, he helped found the Owamboland Independent Church in 1971.

• Elevation to Bishop:
His independent church later associated with the Church of England in South Africa (CESA). After retiring from full-time politics, he was officially ordained as the first Bishop of the Namibian Church of England in October 2000.

• Political Career
Kalangula was a major, complex political actor in the pre-independence administration of South West Africa (now Namibia):

• Owamboland Administration:
He served as a nominated member of the Owambo Legislative Council, rising to become the Owambo Minister of Works (1977) and Minister of Education (1978).

• DTA Presidency:
He joined the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) and served as its national President from 1980 to 1982.

• CDA Formation:
Seeking an alternative path for local social justice, he split from the DTA to form his own political party, the Christian Democratic Action for Social Justice (CDA). He remained the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Owamboland Administration until 1989.

• Legacy and Perspectives
Because Kalangula chose to participate in internal, second-tier administrative systems under the South African-controlled government, his legacy has been the subject of debate.

• The "Collaborator" Debate:
Opponents labelled him a "puppet" or collaborator of the apartheid regime during the liberation war.

• The Nationalist Defence:
His supporters, family, and modern biographers argue that he was a staunch Ovambo nationalist who fought for Namibian independence within Namibia's borders. He used his position to shield his community, reject external South African manipulation, and advocate for native self-determination.

• Biography:
His life is extensively detailed in the biography written by his grandson, Nelson T. Kalangula, titled A NAMIBIAN OF STATURE: BISHOP PETER TANYENGENGE KALANGULA BIOGRAPHY

He passed on from kidney failure on February 20, 2008, at the age of 81, in Windhoek, Namibia.

📍🇳🇦
WHO IS REV. TTK BISHOP KALUWAPA LUKAS KATENDA?

Lukas Kaluwapa Katenda (born in 1978) is a Namibian Anglican bishop. Consecrated in 2019, he is the second bishop of the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of Namibia (REACH Namibia). He served as a General Secretary at the Southern Anglican Diocese of Namibia from 2014 to 2018

Born in and around Onamutai, He was baptised there in the Anglican church and grew up as an Anglican. Listening to the different voices on the Radio preaching the gospel, he was mysteriously confronted by it, convicted of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and converted to Christ.

He started to serve in Onamutai church, doing all that saved people do in the church and for God’s people until one day, Bishop James Kaulunga said about him, “Ope ya onyika apa”, meaning “There is an incoming torch”. But, as in most cases, not everyone can identify a person's spiritual gift.

This has been the unfortunate situation in the Anglican church,
1. IN ENGLAND, they didn't recognise the following characters
• William Wilberforce went and served outside the church
• Charles Simeon was accused from every Anglican front
• John Weysely and his brother Charles had to leave the church and established the Methodist movement
• George Whitefield had to die outside the church as an evangelist England has never seen to this day
• John Banyan became a Baptist due to persecution at the hands of the Anglican bishop and England’s king

In Namibia, they have not recognised people like
• Peter Kalangula
• Edmund Kandume
• Otto Kapiya
• Laban Mwashekele
• Let Lukas Katenda alone, who served as their General Secretary and Treasurer, as well as Director of Theological Education for the Anglican Church of Namibia.

A few years after he started the ministry, he fell into conflict with those who came in for what they could get out of it (those who had forced themselves in for what they could get out of it and then disappeared, as we have seen them do). It was painful to those who knew that Katenda had come in to offer what he could give (entered the ministry to serve, as we are now witnessing him doing today), and those who fought Katenda are nowhere to be found.

The history of Katenda will be written one day; it is too early to say all that our hearts can express. As I am writing this article, the Anglicans in Namibia have two main phases,
1. The Reformed Evangelical Anglican in Namibia—Bible-based Anglican, and
2. The Liberal Anglican of Southern Namibia—Liturgical and Catholic-related Anglican.

Let me end here with article number 0047.
I will meet you again next Friday, God willing, in article 0048, at THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH IN NAMIBIA PENNED FROM AN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE — PART — 008, dealing with THE LATE COMERS AFTER THE SCRAMBLE OVER AFRICA. I will be dealing with the HISTORY OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NAMIBIA

📍🇳🇦
In all these cases, my GROUND FORCE and I at GTTN LMMPC do not mind who gets the credit, as long as God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, receives all the glory, honour and praise. In other words, our objectives remain nonuple:
1. The Glory of God—that God’s glory may be
• seen
• savoured (delighted in) and
• served

2. The Good of Men—that our good God, and gracious Father, may
• command spiritual, moral, and social blessings upon all people
• command blessings upon the works of our hands
• command good governance and political will upon our country and the African continent

3. Grace to the Nation—we long to see and desire to observe
• God’s grace seeking men (all men)
• God’s grace saving their souls and
• God’s grace sanctifying their spirits

4. Reformation of the Foundations of the Namibian Nation
• reformation of the home (families)
• reformation of the church, and
• reformation of the state and society

5. Revival of Biblical Devotions
• in every Christian life
• around every Christian home, and
• at every Christian workplace

6. Renewal of Minds in the Mindless World—a renewal of minds that turns earnest and compliant individuals into
• active thinkers
• effective planners and
• efficient executors

7. Repositioning Cross-hairs: the word cross-hairs means “a pair of fine wires crossing at right angles at the focus of an optical instrument or gunsight, for use in either positioning, aiming or measuring.” In this case, we labour to have individuals whose minds are repositioned
• to see what they do not see
• to know what they do not know and
• to understand what they do not understand

8. Resharpening our People and Reverberating Genuine Generation for God, using:
• pulpits
• press (pen and paper)
• public platforms, and
• pastoral principles

9. Radical Transformation—call it
• spiritual or radical change
• moral renaissance or rebirth marked by a revival of classical learning
• social revolution or radical order:
⁃ transforming individuals' mindset
⁃ transforming the family set-up and
⁃ transforming the perspectives of African society

This article is from Africa to Africa, signed, signalled, and sent from the desk of Grace to the Nation.

07 August 2026