Cintia A. , Lebledparle.com
Namibia is mourning the death of its first president and independence icon, Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma, who died at the age of 95 in the capital, Windhoek. The country’s current president Nangolo Mbumba announced his death.
Nujoma is a key figure in Namibia’s history and was very essential in the country’s long fight for independence from South Africa. In the 1960s, he co-founded South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), a liberation movement that fought for Namibia’s freedom. His dedication and leadership helped in Namibia gaining her independence in 1990, after which he served as the nation’s first president for 15 years, from 1990 to 2005.
Based on the president’s statement, Nujoma had been in and out of hospitals for the last three weeks because of his protracted illness to which he finally succumbed. His demise has led many leaders in Africa and beyond the continent to send their tributes. In the statement released from Buckingham Palace, King Charles III hailed Nujoma as one “committed to freedom and democracy“.
African Union Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat recognised Nujoma as “an epitome of courage, never wavering from his vision for a free Namibia and a unified Africa.” Similarly, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described him as an “extraordinary freedom fighter” who not only played a key role in Namibia’s liberation but also contributed significantly to the broader struggle against white-minority rule in South Africa, which ended in 1994.
Even after his retirement as president in 2005, Nujoma remained relevant in the politics of Namibia. He stayed at the helm of Swapo up until 2007, building a solid foundation as a leader who devoted his entire life to the development of the nation.
Being regarded as the “father of the nation,” the contributions of Sam Nujoma to Namibian history and the liberation movements of Africa will long be remembered.
