Windhoek, February 07 — In a moving tribute amid flickering candles at Heroes Acre, President Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah remembered Founding President Dr. Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma and former President Dr. Hage Godfried Geingob as towering figures whose legacies anchor Namibia’s freedom and progress.
The ceremony, held exactly one year after Nujoma’s passing on 08 February 2025 and two years after Geingob’s death on 04 February 2024, drew dignitaries including Vice President Lucia Witbooi, Prime Minister Dr. Elijah Tjitunga Ngurare, Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, and SWAPO Party Secretary General Sophia Nahango Shaningwa. Families of the late leaders, including Madam Kowambo Nujoma and Madam Monica Geingob, joined members of the media and the public.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah described February as a month of “deep reflection” in Namibia’s history, saluting Nujoma the “Father of the Namibian Nation” for leading the liberation struggle through SWAPO’s political, diplomatic, and military fronts. Elected SWAPO President on 19 April 1960, Nujoma established the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) as its Commander-in-Chief, driving the fight against South African apartheid until independence on 21 March 1990.
“Your independence we must defend today and in future,” Nandi-Ndaitwah quoted Nujoma’s historic proclamation, crediting his leadership with national reconciliation policies, infrastructure like water, housing, education, healthcare, roads, and rural electrification, and the launch of Vision 2030 a blueprint she pledged the 8th Administration would complete.
Turning to Geingob, who died just over a year into his second term, the President hailed him as the “Father of the Namibian Constitution.” A key SWAPO figure in the US and UN, Geingob headed the United Nations Institute for Namibia in Lusaka, chaired the Constituent Assembly, served as Namibia’s first Prime Minister, and later as third President from 2015. His tenure advanced governance, unity, peace, stability, and socio-economic growth.
“These two giants left an indelible mark,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said, noting Nujoma’s foundational freedom efforts complemented Geingob’s institution-building. Both fought tribalism, division, and corruption to build an inclusive society.
Addressing the families, she shared the nation’s grief: “Your loss is deeply personal, but it is also shared by the entire Namibian nation, the whole of Africa and the World.” She urged all Namibians to preserve their legacies for a society of dignity, justice, and equal opportunities.
