Indeed, Mr. ya Toivo acquired a pugilistic reputation after punching out a white prison guard during a search of prisoners’ cells. When Namibia finally became independent, the presidency went to a fellow campaigner, Sam Nujoma; Mr. ya Toivo was appointed minister of mines. PhotoThere were forecasts that divisions between Mr. Nujoma and Mr. ya Toivo would blunt Swapo’s bid for power, but the public confrontation never came. Within months, Mr. ya Toivo was arrested and imprisoned in Pretoria, where his captors repeatedly tortured him, he said. Soon afterward, on a visit to New York, Mr. ya Toivo met Vicki Erenstein, an American labor lawyer.

Source: New York Times June 11, 2017 00:45 UTC