[1] He spent six years as a parish priest at St. Francis Church in Simonstown, South Africa, in the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town.

Most of the Anglicans in Namibia lived in Ovamboland, where the South African government was trying to apply its "homelands" policy, and this caused tensions in the church.

A vocal opponent of South Africa's racial separation policies, Winter took a strong stand on behalf of migrant workers in his diocese, who included many Anglicans from Ovamboland.

In January 1971 the attacks were related to Winter's tolling of the cathedral bell with special lunchtime prayers following the arrest of the Anglican Dean of Johannesburg, Gonville Aubie ffrench-Beytagh.

[4] At that time, when he was returning from a meeting in South Africa, Winter found himself sitting next to pastor Richard Wurmbrand on the plane.

The Legislative Assembly held a special night session to amend an ordinance that allowed the Administrator-in-Executive Committee to deport people from the territory.

Following his expulsion, he remained, at the request of the synod of his diocese, "bishop-in-exile", continuing to speak and write on behalf of independence for Namibia and ordaining clergy to serve there.

[5] Although he had been a conscientious objector against British National Service, Winter defended the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), an armed independence movement that later became Namibia's dominant political party.