Namibian independence leader ya Toivo to get state funeral

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Namibia is planning a state funeral for Herman Andimba Toivo ya Toivo, an independence leader who was jailed alongside Nelson Mandela during South Africa's era of white minority rule.

Ya Toivo, 92, died on Friday, drawing tributes from Namibian President Hage Geingob and others who recalled his role as a founder of Swapo, the anti-apartheid movement that evolved into Namibia's ruling party after independence in 1990.

The Namibia Press Agency on Monday quoted Geingob as saying ya Toivo will be buried at Heroes' Acre, an official war memorial and burial site near Windhoek, the Namibian capital.

South Africa's apartheid government had controlled South West Africa, the name for Namibia before it became independent, and ya Toivo was jailed for 16 years on Robben Island, where Mandela was also held.