It is not every day that one gets to wake up to the sounds of sirens and the sight of a presidential motorcade driving into your street, in the heart of Katutura, everyday. Or being subjected to a curfew of not moving up and down your street after 22h00.
But in the early 90s, this was the norm for those who lived around Okaramba Street, in Wanaheda, Katutura. This, because they were living in close proximity to the most revered man in the country at that time - the late Founding President, Sam Nujoma.
One such individual is former radio presenter and all-round media personality, Uejaa Kazondunge, whose parents’ house was directly adjacent to the one that housed Nujoma upon his return from exile and during the early months of his presidency.
Nujoma had returned to take the reins of an independent country, following rigorous preparatory work by the Constituent Assembly that led to Namibia’s first democratic elections, and which essentially named him as the first head of state of an independent Namibia. He was yet to occupy the first Statehouse, along Robert Mugabe Avenue, which was initially used by the leaders of the apartheid regime.
“It was odd at first but of course we got to be told that we were living next to the President and we felt protected. We felt like we were living in the most secure neighbourhood in the entire country,” Kazondunge told Confidente this week, further maintaining that the halt in traffic that came as a result of the hugely resourced motorcade “was not disruptive.”
She did not get to have a personal encounter with him at that time, nor see him, due to upgrades that were done to the house prior to his moving in, but knowing that the president was there left one with a slightly surreal experience at times, she revealed.
“But all in all, to us as children, he was just a normal neighbour with extra security,” she added.
Kazondunge is now a recognisable local celebrity with weighty accolades in broadcast media, having started at the then Katutura Community Radio (KCR) before moving to Unam Radio and eventually Energy100, with stints on national television in between. She is currently a communication & marketing specialist, corporate MC, voice over artist, as well as freelance TV presenter.
If she has to name one attribute that inspired her regarding the life of the founding father of the Namibian nation, it will be his tenacious spirit in the face of adversity, she says.