Tributes Pour In for Namibia’s Founding President Sam Nujoma
Tributes continue to flow following the passing of Namibia’s first president, Sam Nujoma, who died at the age of 95 in the capital, Windhoek.
President Nangolo Mbumba, who announced Nujoma’s death in a statement, described him as a leader who “inspired us to rise to our feet and become masters of this vast land of our ancestors.” He praised Nujoma’s lifelong dedication to serving the Namibian people, calling him a leader who lived a “long and consequential life.”
Nujoma was a central figure in Namibia’s struggle for independence from South Africa. After co-founding the South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo) in the 1960s, he led the country to independence in 1990 and served as its first president until 2005. President Mbumba revealed that Nujoma had been hospitalized for three weeks with an illness from which he “could not recover.”
Many Namibians have reacted with sorrow, remembering Nujoma as the “father of the nation.” A visibly emotional President Mbumba visited Nujoma’s home to offer condolences to his family, including his wife, Kovambo Theopoldine Katjimune, 91.
Nujoma is widely credited with fostering peace and stability in Namibia after independence. His policy of national reconciliation encouraged the white community to remain, allowing them to continue contributing to sectors such as farming. He also championed women’s and children’s rights, introducing policies that held fathers accountable for the maintenance of children born out of wedlock.
Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, set to be inaugurated as Namibia’s president in March after leading Swapo to an election victory, hailed Nujoma’s “visionary leadership and dedication to liberation and nation-building.”
African leaders have also paid tribute. African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat described Nujoma as “the epitome of courage, never wavering from his vision for a free Namibia and a unified Africa.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called him an “extraordinary freedom fighter” who played a key role in both Namibia’s independence and the end of white-minority rule in South Africa in 1994. “President Nujoma’s leadership of a free Namibia laid the foundation for the solidarity and partnership our two countries share today,” Ramaphosa added.
Kenyan President William Ruto praised Nujoma as a “visionary leader who dedicated his life to the liberation and development of his country.”
Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.
