Ovamboland People's Organization
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Ovamboland People's Organization
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| Abbreviation | OPO |
| President | Sam Nujoma (1959 - 1960) |
| Chairperson | Lucas Haleinge Nepela |
| Founder |
Sam Nujoma Jacob Kuhangua |
| Founded | 19 April 1959, Windhoek |
The Ovamboland People's Organization is a defunct nationalist organization that existed between 1959 and 1960 in the former South West Africa. The aim of the organization was to end the South African colonial administration, and the placing of South West Africa under the United Nations Trusteeship system.Andimba Toivo ya Toivo had founded its predecessor, the Ovamboland People's Congress, in 1957 in Cape Town, South Africa. In 1959, Sam Nujoma and Jacob Kuhangua established the Ovamboland People's Organization (OPO) at the Old Location in Windhoek. Sam Nujoma was the president of OPO until its transformation into the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) a year later and remained president until Namibia gained independence in 1990.
In 1949, Sam Nujoma moved to Windhoek from Walvis Bay were he had been working. He immediately became involved in politics through which he met and formed a close relationship with the Herero Chief Hosea Kutako who would become his political mentor. During this era the South West Africa Native Labour Association (SWANLA) was recruiting many Namibians through the controversial contract labour system to work on farms and mines in Namibia and South Africa. The contract labour system was met with objections for its harsh treatment and human rights abuses by Namibian nationalist in and outside the country.
In 1951, Andimba Toivo ya Toivo left Namibia to South Africa and was employed as a railway police officer in Cape Town. Ya Toivo and a few Namibians who were influenced by the politics of the African National Congress (ANC) got together several times at a small barbershop in Cape Town to discuss the political situation in Namibia and issues concerning the contract labour system. During the discussions on political action the group formed the Ovamboland People's Congress (OPC) on August 2, 1957 under the leadership of Ya Toivo. Among the founding members were Jacob Kuhangua, Mzee Kaukungwa, Eliaser Tuhadeleni, Peter Mweshihange, Solomon Mifima, Maxton Mutongulume, Jariretundu Kozonguizi, Emil Appolus, Andreas Shipanga, Ottiliè Schimming and Kenneth Abrahams. The aim was to fight the exploitative contract labour system and policies of SWANLA. The information about the OPC's formation reached nationalist leaders inside the country. One of them was Sam Nujoma who became one of the organization's front man leading its Windhoek branch. Nujoma went around to the workers compounds talking to them about the formation of new organization. By 1958, the organization had thousands of members and followers in compounds and locations all over Namibia.
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