Hage Geingob died in the wee hours of Sunday, February 4, at Lady Pohamba Hospital in the country’s capital, Windhoek, where he was receiving cancer treatment.
President Paul Kagame has extended condolences to former First Lady Monica Geingos and Namibia for his passing.
Kagame eulogised the fallen 82-year-old politician as a champion of Pan-Africanism whose work would be remembered for generations to come.
Geingob had led the thinly populated and mostly arid southern African country since 2015, the year he announced he had survived prostate cancer.
“My deepest condolences to my sister Monica Geingos, the entire family and the people of Namibia for the passing of my brother and friend President Hage Geingob,” Kagame said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“His leadership through Namibia’s liberation struggle, his tireless work in service of his people and his commitment to a united Africa will all be remembered for generations to come.”
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, president of Uganda said: ” On behalf of the Government and People of Uganda, I salute the contribution of the late H.E. Geingob to the cause of freedom of Namibia and Africa in general. I extend our condolences to his family and the people of Namibia.”
Samia Suluha Hassan, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, also shared her condolences.
“On behalf of the people of the United Republic of Tanzania, I send my condolences to the people of the Republic of Namibia, the Acting President, His Excellency Dr. Nangolo Mbumba, Madam First Lady, Her Excellency Monica Kalondo, family, friends and comrades in SWAPO.” President Suluhu said.
Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary-general of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, said that he remember how driven, optimistic and very simple he was.
“The president of Namibia, Hage Geingob, has passed on. May he rest in peace!! I met this impressive man in the late 80s in the USA, busy on a mission for his homeland and Southern Africa at large! He was driven, optimistic, very simple, and with a thunderous laughter! He leaves a legacy of love and hard work for his country.” Mushikiwabo said in a post on X.
” At this time of deep sorrow, I join his wonderful wife and friend First Lady Monica Geingos, his entire family and the people of Namibia to honor the memory of this towering man, literally and figuratively!”
Born in 1941, Geingob was a prominent politician before Namibia achieved independence from white minority-ruled South Africa in 1990.
He chaired the body that drafted Namibia’s constitution, then became its first prime minister at independence on March 21 of that year, a position he retained until 2002.
In 2007, Geingob became vice president of the governing South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo), which he had joined as an agitator for independence when Namibia was still known as South West Africa.
