An Analytical Synthesis of the Mudabeti, Mudengi, and Mulele Debates, and a Visionary Path Forward for Regional Progress

By Mr. Nawa Nawa

Native Resident — Katima Mulilo, Zambezi Region

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The vibrant public debate over renaming the University of Namibia (UNAM) Katima Mulilo Campus must not degenerate into a zero-sum conflict between honouring liberation heroes and preserving indigenous identity. By critically analysing the arguments of Earle Sinvula Mudabeti, Liwakala Mudengi, and Othero S. Mulele, Katima Mulilo can adopt an ‘Additive Commemoration Policy’ — protecting local historical heritage while channelling regional energies into resurrecting stalled economic assets, building new growth centres, and expanding nameable public landmarks across Namibia.

1. The Crossroads at the Rapids of the Zambezi

As a native son of Katima Mulilo born and bred along the bends of the Zambezi River, I have watched with keen interest the intellectual discourse ignited across our newspapers and digital platforms regarding our region’s identity. The proposal to rename the University of Namibia (UNAM) Katima Mulilo Campus has touched a sensitive nerve among scholars, community elders, traditional leaders, and youth alike. It has forced us to ask fundamental questions about how we memorialise our past, how we treat our local geographical heritage, and what kind of socio-economic landscape we are constructing for future generations.

Rather than viewing the debate as a divisive clash of opinions, we must recognise it as a healthy manifestation of civic consciousness. Three prominent voices — Earle Sinvula Mudabeti, Liwakala Mudengi, and Othero S. Mulele — have presented distinct yet deeply interconnected arguments. Examining these three perspectives reveals that national hero recognition, indigenous heritage preservation, and socio-economic development are not mutually exclusive goals, but three essential pillars of regional progress.

2. Dissecting the Debates of the Three Core Perspectives

2.1 Earle Sinvula Mudabeti’s Imperative of Revolutionary Recognition

Earle Sinvula Mudabeti initiated this essential conversation by proposing that UNAM Katima Mulilo Campus be renamed after the late Brendan Kangongolo Simbwaye. Mudabeti and his supporters anchor their argument on the principle that institutional names carry profound political, cultural, and psychological weight. In their view, retaining ‘Katima Mulilo’ serves merely as a geographic identifier for a town, whereas naming the campus after Brendan Simbwaye pays fitting homage to an anti-apartheid liberation pioneer who sacrificed his freedom and life for Namibia’s independence.

Proponents of this view point out that renaming national higher education institutions after struggle icons is an established practice in Namibia, citing the Hifikepunye Pohamba Campus in Ongwediva as a clear precedent. From Mudabeti’s perspective, placing Simbwaye’s name on the region’s premier academic institution elevates national historical consciousness and ensures that future generations of scholars remain grounded in the sacrifices of the liberation struggle.

2.2 Liwakala Mudengi’s Preserving Indigenous Heritage and Institutional Memory

In a deeply researched response, Liwakala Mudengi offers a vital counterbalance, arguing that honouring national heroes must not come at the cost of erasing rich local history. Mudengi emphasises that Brendan Simbwaye is already widely celebrated and formally commemorated across Namibia. His legacy is etched into District Road 3508 (the Namalubi–Isize–Luhonono road in Kabbe North), Brendan Simbwaye Primary School in Katima Mulilo, Brendan Simbwaye Square at Government Office Park in Windhoek, and the naval patrol vessel NS Brendan Simbwaye. The debate, Mudengi notes, is not whether Simbwaye deserves honour — he unquestionably does — but whether honouring him requires subtracting an existing historical name.

Mudengi demonstrates that the name Katima Mulilo (‘quench the fire’) is itself an unwritten historical record, born from the geography of the Zambezi rapids, river travellers, and earlier indigenous layers of traditional authority such as Nakabunze. Furthermore, the university campus possesses a 50-year institutional memory, evolving from the Katima Mulilo Teacher Training Centre (founded in the late 1960s at St. Kizito), operating at Caprivi State School in the 1970s, moving to the Tobias Hainyeko Centre in 1990, becoming Caprivi College of Education, and merging into UNAM in 2011. Retaining town names on university campuses aligns with UNAM’s established practice in Oshakati, Rundu, and Keetmanshoop.

To illustrate the danger of historical erasure, Mudengi highlights the renaming of Imukusi Street to President Hage Geingob Street. While President Geingob deserved national recognition, the name Imukusi — which linked the community to traditional leadership and historical landscape authority — vanished from everyday public vocabulary. Mudengi warns against repeated historical subtraction and provides an extensive roll of local community builders, church leaders, educationists, traditional elders, and civic figures — such as Pastor Lee L. Mubonenwa, Joseph Mukendwa, Adv. Happy Ntelamo, and Fred Mubonenwa — calling for a systematic community history archiving project.

2.3 Othero S. Mulele’s Economic Development Paradigm

Othero S. Mulele elevates the debate beyond a binary choice of ‘naming vs. renaming’ by examining what the controversy reveals about the socio-economic reality of the Zambezi Region. Mulele formulates a powerful thesis: ‘Development creates landmarks, and landmarks create opportunities for recognition.’ Instead of engaging in narrow conflicts over a single existing university campus, Mulele argues that regional leadership and society must focus on building new productive infrastructure that can naturally carry the names of historical figures.

Mulele draws attention to major underperforming or stalled regional capital investments, including the N$189 million Zambezi Waterfront Tourism Park, the Liselo/Katima Mulilo Green Scheme, and the Kongola Crocodile Farm. He points out that while the state has invested in major facilities such as the N$700 million Brendan Simbwaye Road, N$70 million Regional Council offices, N$40 million Police Headquarters, and N$84 million Judiciary offices, many public buildings remain known only by plain functional descriptions. Furthermore, Mulele stresses the necessity of strategic decentralisation, urging investment in emerging growth centres like Bukalo, Kongola, Sangwali, Linyanti, Ngoma, Iibbu, and Impalila to create new landmarks across the region.

3. Diagnosis of Systemic Challenges Identified in the Debates

Synthesising the insights of Mudabeti, Mudengi, and Mulele allows us to identify three core systemic bottlenecks currently hindering both historical recognition and regional development in Katima Mulilo and the wider Zambezi Region:

Identified Challenge	Root Cause & Manifestation	Impact on Community & Region
1. Zero-Sum Historical Subtraction	Habitual renaming of existing landmarks rather than constructing new public facilities.	Creates unnecessary friction between local identity preservation and national hero commemoration.
2. The ‘Nameless Landmark’ Paradox	Multi-million-dollar public investments (Judiciary N$84m, Police HQ N$40m) retained under plain functional titles.	Wastes immediate, high-visibility opportunities to honour struggle heroes without touching town names.
3. Asset Underutilisation & Centralisation	Stalled major investments (N$189m Zambezi Waterfront, Liselo Green Scheme) and economic over-concentration in Katima town.	Restricts economic growth, limits job creation for youth, and starves outlying settlements of nameable infrastructure.

4. The Four-Pillar Roadmap for Katima Mulilo and Regional Progress

To resolve these challenges constructively, I propose a practical, four-pillar roadmap for local government, regional leadership, UNAM management, and national authorities:

Pillar 1: Adopt an ‘Additive Commemoration’ Policy

• Retain UNAM Katima Mulilo Campus Name: Maintain the current campus title to protect indigenous geographical heritage, preserve 50 years of institutional memory, and ensure naming parity with UNAM campuses in Oshakati, Rundu, and Keetmanshoop.
• Name Functional Public Infrastructure: Immediately bestow formal names on major unnamed state facilities, such as designating the Zambezi Regional Judiciary Office or Regional Police HQ after Brendan Simbwaye or other struggle icons.
• Internal Campus Commemoration: Dedicate specific academic faculties, research auditoriums, or main library buildings within UNAM Katima Mulilo Campus to Brendan Simbwaye, blending national honour with local context.

Pillar 2: Infrastructure Revival & Asset Restructuring

• Transform the Zambezi Waterfront Tourism Park: Rehabilitate the N$189 million facility into a premier eco-tourism resort, eco-research facility, and regional liberation struggle museum dedicated to Brendan Simbwaye and his contemporaries.
• Reactivate Strategic Agricultural Schemes: Restructure the Liselo/Katima Mulilo Green Scheme and the Kongola Crocodile Farm through public-private community partnerships to drive food security, export growth, and youth employment.

Pillar 3: Strategic Regional Decentralisation

• Expand Beyond Katima Town: Target strategic capital investments toward emerging growth centres such as Bukalo, Kongola, Sangwali, Linyanti, Ngoma, and Impalila.
• Create New Nameable Assets: As new vocational centres, district health facilities, agricultural hubs, and libraries are constructed in these settlements, dedicate them to regional pioneers, expanding the total footprint of national recognition.

Pillar 4: Institutionalise Local Community Archiving

• Establish a UNAM Community History Project: Formally launch a research centre at UNAM Katima Mulilo Campus to gather oral interviews, church registers, school archives, and traditional authority records.
• Document Unsung Community Builders: Systematically preserve the contributions of local educational, civic, and spiritual figures — such as Pastor Lee L. Mubonenwa, Joseph Mukendwa, Adv. Happy Ntelamo, and Fred Mubonenwa — ensuring that national history does not erase the local hands that built our community.

5. Concluding by a Call for Unity and Action

Brendan Simbwaye deserves national honour. Katima Mulilo deserves historical preservation. Our youth deserve economic development. These three truths do not conflict; they reinforce one another. As a native of Katima Mulilo, I urge our regional leaders, government ministries, traditional authorities, and citizens to move beyond narrow arguments over single signs.

Let us honour our heroes by building a region worthy of their sacrifices. The naming debate may continue across our newspapers, but the development of Katima Mulilo and the Zambezi Region must not wait.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mr. Nawa Nawa is a native resident of Katima Mulilo. He writes in his personal capacity as a contribution to the national discourse on heritage, civic identity, and economic progress.