02 Mar 2025

Former president, Lieutenant General Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama and Minister for International Relations, Dr Phenyo Butale were among African leaders who attended Namibia founding father, Dr Sam Nujoma’s funeral.

Dr Nujoma died February 8, aged of 95. Dr Nujoma was laid to rest on Saturday at Heroes' Acre, bringing to an end four weeks of mourning. The state funeral was Namibia’s second in just one year, following the burial of Dr Hage Geingob, the country’s third president, who died in office last year on February 4.

In his eulogy, President Nangolo Mbumba reflected on Dr Nujoma’s enduring impact, stating that the demise of Dr Nujoma marked the end of 95 glorious years of a freedom fighter, a dedicated and humble servant, a fountain of wisdom, a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope to all.

“We fought under your command, won the liberation struggle, and forever removed apartheid colonialism from the face of Namibia and today marks the end of an extraordinary journey that began 95 years ago,” he said.

With hearts laden with grief, Dr Mbumba urged mourners to take solace in knowing that Dr Nujoma would rest among other heroes who had also completed their mission with some fair amount of distinction.

“We are truly honoured to be part of the final journey of this great son of our country and the founding president of a free and democratic Namibia,” said President Mbumba.

He said Dr Nujoma was leaving behind the most precious gift of freedom and independence for the people of Namibia noting, “we salute you Dr Nujoma for a life well lived in the service of the people of Namibia, the SADC region and the entire African continent.”

He remembered Dr Nujoma for always displaying a confident demeanor hence labelled him a true statesman and a true commander in chief whom Namibia was proud of.

His legacy of dedication and hard work he said should remain a source of strength for all as the country continued to uphold his command of maintaining unity and fulfilling the mission to improve the quality of life of the citizenry, to the level of their counter parts in the developed countries.

As the casket was lowered into Dr Nujoma final resting place, a 21 gun salute echoed through the Heroes’ Acre accompanied by military planes flying overhead, making the end of Dr Nujoma’s illustrious service to the Namibian nation on the path of peace, stability and development.

Prior the funeral, a memorial service was held on Friday, in honour of Dr Nujoma and where Dr Mbumba shared that throughout his life, the late president exhibited the traits of a man driven by purpose and destiny.

“Indeed, President Nujoma was a man whose unwavering commitment enabled him to join the pantheon of all-time great revolutionaries and legendary leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Patrice Lumumba, Julius Nyerere, Jomo Kenyatta, Kenneth Kaunda, Augustinho Neto, Robert Mugabe, Nelson Mandela, Samora Machel and many others,” said Dr Mbumba.

After independence, nation building became President Nujoma’s primary objective, he formed the first cabinet and made a deliberate effort to ensure that it was widely representative of all Namibian people. President Mbumba said personal and national accomplishments were of utmost importance to President Nujoma.

He set out to galvanise all citizens to empower themselves and to build Namibia as he always led from the front and by example, said Dr Mbumba. He indicated that the relentless pursuit of the second struggle for economic emancipation was central to President Nujoma’s vision for both Namibia and Africa, in which the socio-economic aspirations of the people could be achieved.

Similarly, he said President Nujoma was a true champion of women’s rights and gender equality and played a pivotal role during the liberation struggle and post-independence, for the advancement of women in positions of higher authority.

Dr Mbumba acknowledged President Nujoma for believing that, “the best way in which we can address social and economic inequalities in our country is by ensuring that all our people especially the youth, are provided with quality education.”

As a result, he said the highest percentage of Namibia’s national budget since independence, had been on education. ENDS