Namibia’s founding father, Sam Nujoma, who led the country’s struggle for independence from South Africa, has died at the age of 95, the presidency announced on Saturday.
President Nangolo Mbumba, in a statement released on Sunday, said Nujoma had been hospitalized for the past three weeks due to an illness “from which he could not recover.”
“With the utmost sorrow and sadness,” Mbumba stated, “the passing of our revered freedom fighter and revolutionary leader” has occurred.
“Our Founding Father lived a long and consequential life during which he exceptionally served the people of his beloved country,” he added.
Born into a farming family of the Ovambo ethnic group, Nujoma was the eldest of ten children.
In 1949, he worked as a railway sweeper near Windhoek while attending night classes.
During this time, he became acquainted with Herero chief Hosea Kutako, who was actively campaigning against apartheid rule in Namibia, then known as South West Africa.
Kutako played a crucial role in mentoring Nujoma, who soon became politically active, particularly in efforts to resist a government order to relocate black workers to a new township in the late 1950s.
At Kutako’s urging, Nujoma went into exile in 1960, leaving behind his wife and four children. That same year, he was elected president of the South West People’s Organisation (SWAPO).
From abroad, he sought international backing for Namibia’s independence movement.
In 1966, SWAPO launched an armed struggle against South Africa after the apartheid government refused to comply with a United Nations directive to relinquish control over the territory.
South Africa justified its continued rule, claiming Namibia served as a strategic buffer against the spread of communism in Africa.
Namibia, a country rich in natural resources, finally achieved independence in 1990, making it one of the last African nations to do so.
Following independence, Nujoma won the country’s first democratic election and served three terms as president, overseeing a period of relative economic growth and political stability.
His policies on HIV/AIDS earned him international recognition, but he was criticized for refusing to reintegrate several hundred former SWAPO fighters accused of being spies for apartheid South Africa.
These individuals had been imprisoned in Angola during the liberation struggle.
Nujoma was also outspoken against homosexuality, describing it as a “madness” and declaring in 2001 that gays and lesbians would face arrest or deportation.
He stepped down as president in 2005, handing over power to his chosen successor, Hifikepunye Pohamba, who won the election with ease.
However, Nujoma remained an influential figure in the country’s political landscape and did not officially retire from politics until 2007.
President Mbumba praised him, stating, “He 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, also paid tribute to Nujoma, acknowledging his “visionary leadership and dedication to liberation and nation-building,” which she said “laid the foundation for our free, united nation.”
“Let us honor his legacy by upholding resilience, solidarity, and selfless service,” she added. Nandi-Ndaitwah, who won the presidential election last November, will be sworn into office next month.
