As Namibia mourns the loss of liberation figure Helao Joseph Shityuwete, we take a brief look at his biography.
Born on August 25, 1934, in Angola's Evale District, Shityuwete dedicated his life to dismantling colonial oppression.
In 1964, he crossed into exile, undergoing rigorous military training in Ghana and Tanzania.
In 1966, he was appointed as a frontline commander for the People's Liberation Army of Namibia, PLAN Cadre G2.
PLAN Cadre G2 was a guerilla unit consisting of ten soldiers sent by SWAPO in early 1966 to launch the armed liberation struggle inside Namibia. Trained
Their core mission was to set up secret base camps and mobilise the locals for war against the South African apartheid regime.
This group was led by Commander Fillemon "Castro" Shuuya, with Helao Shityuwete serving as the group's secretary.
Other combatants in that group with their combatant names were Lazarus Shakala Zachariah, Julius Kashuku Shilongo, Kamati Ma-questions Ekandjo, Nghidipo Kambua Haufiku, Elia Pohamba Ndume, Festus Ndengu Nakale and David Kengoya Hamunime.
However, the path to freedom was thorny. In March of that same year, colonial apartheid forces ambushed his unit near Nkurenkuru.
Captured by the enemy, he was flown to Pretoria to face prosecution under the infamous 1967 Terrorism Act trial.
Found guilty by the apartheid South African regime, he was banished to Robben Island, in Cape Town, where he spent 16 years alongside other iconic Namibian and South African political prisoners.
Following his release on May 10, 1984, Shityuwete refused to abandon the fight against the yoke of apartheid.
He relocated to the United Kingdom in 1985 to further his studies, where he met his wife, Jane.
Like thousands of his compatriots, he returned to Namibia in 1989 ahead of independence.
In a free Namibia, amongst his other roles, he served as the Deputy Director in the Ministry of Labour, helping shape the nation's early labour laws.
Shityuwete also chronicled his journey in his autobiography, titled Never Follow the Wolf.
He leaves behind his widow Jane, his two children Tulimelila and Freddy, and a free nation built on his ultimate sacrifice.