Namibian Government Plans Funeral Arrangement for Founding Father Sam Nujoma

Namibia’s Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila led a cabinet meetingto discuss the funeral arrangements of the country’s late first president, Sam Nujoma, who passed away over the weekend.

“The public will be informed about any decisions that are taken by the president with regard to the program,” Namibia’s presidential press secretary, Alfredo Hengari, shared with the media as the country mourns its foremost figure in its fight for independence.

Announcing Nujoma’s passing, Namibian President Nangolo Mbumbapraised his forebear as a leader who “heroically marshaled the Namibian people during the darkest hours of our liberation struggle.” Nujoma led the decades-long struggle for Namibia’s independence from South Africa’s powerful, minority white government and was elected as the leader of the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) while in exile.

Before that, he was the leader of the Ovamboland People’s Organization; he was arrested for organizing a resistance against the forced relocation of Black people in the country’s capital city, Windhoek. He went into exile in 1960 and became the voice of Namibia’s struggle to the rest of the world, partnering with Cuba and the Soviet Union for armed support in SWAPO’s guerrilla fights.

The United Nations identified SWAPO as Namibia’s official ruling party in 1978. However, South African white government occupation continued until a U.S.-backed peace deal was brokered in 1989. Nujoma returned to the country shortly after and was elected Namibia’s president the following year. He was officially recognized as “Founding Father of the Namibian Nation” by the country’s parliament at the end of his presidency in 2005.

President Mbumba said Nujoma “inspired us to rise to our feet and to become masters of this vast land of our ancestors.”Namibia’s President-elect, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, urged citizens toembrace Nujoma’s legacy “by upholding resilience, solidarity, and selfless service.”

Many African leaders have sent out condolence statements since the announcement of Nujoma’s passing. “As neighbors and compatriots, South Africa is united in grief with Namibians who have lost the leader of the Namibian revolution, who is inseparable from our own history of struggle and liberation,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosasaid in his statement, adding that Namibia’s independence “ignited in us the inevitability of [South Africa’s] liberation.”

Zimbabwean President Emerson Mnangagwa expressed sadness at Nujoma’s death,exhorting him as “a towering figure of liberation and a champion of African independence, his legacy will continue to inspire generations.” The Nigerian governmentpraised Nujoma’s “unwavering commitment to justice, equality and self-determination” and that those qualities have “inspired generations of Africans in the fight against oppression and injustice.”

Former freedom fighter and Namibian cabinet minister Charles Namoloh, who spent 15 years in exile,eulogized Nujoma as “a resilient commander,” adding that “The bravery of PLAN (People’s Liberation Army of Namibia) is because of the good leadership of Sam Nujoma.”

Nujoma was a staunch Pan-Africanist, oncepronouncing that “Namibia belongs to the African continent.” As with most African revolutionaries, hetreated critics and dissidents harshly, while also dishing out harsh words against gay people andclaimed HIV/AIDS was a man-made biological weapon.