Auguste Mukwahepo Immanuel

Mukwanangombe Auguste Mukwahepo Immanuel (7 October 1937 – 30 May 2018) affectionately known as Meekulu Mukwahepo was a Namibian guerrilla, notable for being the first woman recruit of the People's Liberation Army of Namibia. Mukwahepo committed her life looking after children during the South African Border War, moving from one camp to another whenever the need arose.

In 1963 Mukwahepo left her home in Namibia and followed her fiance Shikongo Hangala across the border into Angola. They survived hunger and war and eventually made their way to Tanzania. There, Mukwahepo became the first woman to undergo military training with SWAPO. For nine years she was the only woman in SWAPO's Kongwa camp. She was then thrust into a more traditional women's role - taking care of children in the SWAPO camps in Zambia and Angola. Mukwahepo underwent combat training in 1965 in Kongwa, Tanzania where she remained for nine years. At independence she was repatriated along with five children that she took care of in exile, according to UNAM's Ellen Ndeshi Namhila ’s book about the life of Mukwahepo; Mukwahepo : woman soldier mother [1][2]