Namibian Independence Leader Sam Nujoma Passes Away at 95
For all the News from Mashonaland Central, Join One of Our Groups:
Sam Nujoma, the guerrilla commander who led Namibia’s struggle for independence from South Africa and became its first democratically elected president, has passed away at the age of 95.
President Nangolo Mbumba announced Nujoma’s death in Windhoek on Saturday, stating, “Our Founding Father lived a long and consequential life during which he exceptionally served the people of his beloved country.”
Born on 12 May 1929 to farmers from the Ovambo tribe in Ogandjera, Nujoma was the eldest of ten children. After working on the farm, he travelled 800km south and secured a job as a railway sweeper near Windhoek in 1949.
While attending night classes, he met Hosea Kutako, who was campaigning to end apartheid rule in Namibia, then known as South West Africa. Kutako became his mentor as Nujoma became politically active among black workers resisting a government order to move to a new township in the late 1950s.
In 1960, at Kutako’s request, Nujoma began life in exile, leaving his wife and four children behind. As president of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), Nujoma travelled from capital to capital seeking support for the independence cause.
Swapo launched an armed struggle in 1966 after South Africa refused a UN order to relinquish its mandate over the former German colony, claiming it was a buffer against the spread of communism in Africa.
Namibia finally gained its independence in 1990, becoming one of the last countries in Africa to do so. Nujoma subsequently won the first democratic election in 1990 and served three terms, overseeing a period of relative economic prosperity and political stability.
His policy on AIDS earned him some international praise, but he faced criticism for refusing to rehabilitate several hundred members of his Swapo liberation movement who were imprisoned in Angola as “spies for apartheid South Africa.” Nujoma was also known for his stance against homosexuality, stating in 2001 that gays and lesbians would be arrested or deported.
His chosen successor, Hifikepunye Pohamba, easily won the election and assumed the presidency in 2005, but Nujoma was widely regarded as the power behind the throne.
“He inspired us to rise to our feet and to become masters of this vast land of our ancestors,” Mbumba said.
President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah paid tribute to Nujoma’s visionary leadership and dedication to liberation and nation-building. “It laid the foundation for our free, united nation,” she said. Nandi-Ndaitwah, who will be sworn in as Namibia’s first female president next month after winning last November’s elections, added, “Let us honour his legacy by upholding resilience, solidarity, and selfless service.”
Gayton McKenzie Calls for Deportation of Illegal Immigrants, Cites Economic and Social Concerns
Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie has renewed his call for the deportation of…
Highlanders’ New Signings Doubtful For Greenfuel Clash
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - Although Highlanders Football Club celebrated the lifting of their FIFA transfer ban earlier this week, it appears unlikely that any of their new signings will feature in their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match against GreenFuel in Chisumbanje.
