On February 8, 2025, in Windhoek, His Excellency Dr. Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma concluded his 95-year earthly journey.
A humble young man, he grew up under the guidance of his family and community, attending to traditional chores like tending livestock and pounding mahangu at Etunda, Ongandjera. It has been said that while he was a child like any other, he soon began to showcase unique and extraordinary leadership from an early age. This prodigiousness, 95 years later, has touched the four corners of Namibia, Africa, and the world.
Therefore, the greatest pain must be felt by his family at Etunda and throughout the country. I bow in humility to extend my deepest condolences to them and hold the Nujoma family in my prayers during this time of sorrow.
Comrade Sam Nujoma, when he left Etunda for Walvis Bay and Windhoek, appeared to be an ordinary young man in search of a better life for his family. However, he was no ordinary job seeker. His thoughts were planted in the future of Namibia. His actions were geared towards the well-being of all Namibians. His eyes were fixed on overcoming all impossibilities, all impediments, and all shackles of oppression, ultimately to break the back of South African colonialism.
Undoubtedly, Comrade Sam Nujoma’s simple and honest life has inspired and continues to inspire many Namibians to dedicate themselves to the well-being of the country and its people. As a torchbearer of the liberation struggle, Sam Nujoma’s virtues of humility, hard work, foresight, empathy, and bravery made him magnetic to all around him. That is why, in life and in death, Namibia’s Founding President, H.E. Dr. Sam Nujoma, stands proudly in the annals of Namibia’s landscape as a symbol of national unity, sovereignty, and national independence.
As we mourn his passing, the fitting tribute to his exemplary leadership of Namibia is for all of us to unite in preserving the gains of the liberation struggle. Let us, individually and collectively, ensure that the present and future generations complete the second struggle of economic independence. And we must pause daily to remember the rivers of blood crossed towards our independence. We must never forget those whose blood waters our freedom from the Orange River to the Zambezi River and from the Atlantic Ocean to the plains of the Kalahari Desert. In our hearts, we must always replay the message: “Namibia is forever free, sovereign, and independent.”
On a personal note, like most people in Kavango, I first saw our late Founding President in person at a SWAPO rally in Rundu in 1989. He became the first Black president of Namibia on March 21, 1990, and four years later (in 1994), the late Comrade Nelson Mandela became the first Black president of South Africa. The back of apartheid colonialism was, therefore, broken by SWAPO in Namibia and the African National Congress in South Africa to gain the political independence of our respective countries.
I feel humbled, therefore, that our late Founding President took time to provide guidance to me in many ways. He guided me about politics and also about life. He was calm but often direct in expressing what he deemed I needed to know and do. In the political space, he provided me with an opportunity for growth while navigating its intricacies. He advised that amidst whatever challenges, one must “never compromise your principles.” This lesson served as a cushion for me to remain calm amidst the storms and contradictions of life.
I recall that if there was something pressing, he would call even at 05:00, and usually, such a call meant there was something serious. You would be summoned to meet him first thing at his office. In calmer times, he would call for lighter things like dinner and watching television with him, especially when I was working in the north (at UNAM). We would sit at Etunda village for hours, and he would narrate the news coverage but also reflect on the colorful years of his childhood and what they used to do as boys. He would share ideas of development that must be done, including the desalination plant in northern Namibia to offset climate change impediments, which could risk the security of the water supply to northern Namibia.
I have particularly been impressed by the humility and humanity of the late Founding President. In 2012, he led our delegation for the 2nd Africa-China Young Leaders Forum, which was held in Beijing, China. As we were transiting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the airport authority subjected him to a search, much to our consternation. However, Tatekulu said, “It is okay, let them be. It is their law.” He humbled himself to be searched.
As part of the 12 May Movement birthday celebration for Oshana, we tasked the regional leadership of SPYL to come up with a unique theme for their celebration. They returned with the idea of playing the rite of passage as per Uukwambi custom. I went to brief him and sought his concurrence, to which he excitedly agreed. Onawa ya Kiliana village in Okatana was selected deliberately because it was the first place where he addressed a SWAPO rally after his return from exile in 1989.
The day began with a march from Oshakati’s Okandjengedi to Okatana. The gathering marked one of the largest of Namibians from all corners of the country, including traditional authorities, to witness him being taken through the rite of passage by the Uukwambi Traditional Authority customs. It was also witnessed by senior leaders of SWAPO and its government, including Former President Hifikepunye Pohamba, late President Geingob, and now President Nangolo Mbumba. That was Nujoma.
He touched every facet of Namibian life. He impacted positively on the growth of many Namibians and many Africans. He was an extraordinary human being. He closed his eyes forever on February 8, 2025, but his book of 95 years is left for all to read and learn, especially by present and future generations.
What remains, therefore, is that Namibia should move forward in ensuring the beneficiation of natural resources to benefit all our people. The measure of the legacy of the Founding President must be felt in the improvement of the standard of living at the household level for all. Let us vow to ensure no one goes hungry. No child is taught under trees. No one feels neglected.
The baton is now in the hands of President-elect H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the first female president, whom the Founding President also voted for in the November 2024 Presidential and National Elections. May the implementation of the SWAPO Party Election Manifesto 2024 align with the aspirations of the late Founding President H.E. Dr. Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma.
May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may his legacy live on.