Angula was born in Onyaanya, Oshikoto Region. He was in exile from Namibia from 1965 to 1989. During this time he worked for Radio Zambia from 1973 to 1976 and for the United Nations as a civil servant from 1976 to 1980 before becoming a SWAPO organizer in 1980. He was in charge of SWAPO voter registration in 1989. Immediately prior to independence, Angula was a SWAPO member of the Constituent Assembly of Namibia, which was in place from November 1989 to March 1990.