Political commentator Natjirikasorua Tjirera has urged Namibians to celebrate the life and times of departed statesman and hero of the Namibian liberation struggle, Sam Nujoma,without equating him to celestial beings with unmatched super powers.
Tjirera, a legal practitioner and former Congress of Democrats (CoD) politician maintained that ‘Dr. Nujoma can simply be described as a determined and steadfast leader.’
Said Tjirera: “We should not be deliberate in trying to paint President Nujoma as some God of some sort. He was a human being determined to lead his people to freedom. He did not do it alone, he could not have done it alone.”
“President Nujoma had with him and to his disposal an army of combatants and a pool of intellectuals to guide and help him. He was assisted to greatness by the magnanimity of those around him who allowed him to be the face of the revolution,” Tjirera said. 
His remarks come after former deputy minister of defence Philemon Malima, reportedly, described the late Founding President Sam Nujoma as the Jesus of Namibia. 
According to media reports it is Malima’s conviction that without Nujoma’s contribution, the country would not have gained its independence.
“He was the commanding chief during the liberation struggle. If it was not for him, this country would not have gotten independence,” Malima reportedly said during an interview with Nampa. 
“We have lost a father, a commander-in-chief and our prophet, who wanted this country to be independent and peaceful,” the former defence minister allegedly added.  
But according to Tjirera, Nujoma was just a leader who was determined to achieve what he put his mind to.
“He was relentless in pursuing what he believed should be done. He had the ability to rally people behind what he believed in and was able to command those he led with consummate ease,” Tjirera told Confidente this week.
“He is a hero to many, some have described him as equivalent to Jesus but in reality he [was] human and like many others he was mortal. We should mourn him and celebrate his life. We should advance the good he stood for and learn from his mistakes as we aim to build a better Namibia,” Tjirera stressed.

Shortcomings

He maintained that, true to human nature, the departed president had some shortcomings 
“The administration of president Nujoma was very lenient on corruption especially when that corruption involved prominent politicians. The seed of the endemic corruption was planted during the tenure of President Nujoma,” Tjirera said, adding that as a leader the late president was primarily focussed on uniting a people who were divided by years of political adversity.
According to Tjirera, despite the influx of people from rural Namibia into Windhoek, the administration could not have been overwhelmed in pushing for policies relating to key developmental issues like housing because they found a functional state in place. 
“President Nujoma and his SWAPO party found a functional state created by apartheid South Africa. They found infrastructure in place and people in the cities had decent places of accommodation. They found a functioning judiciary and laws in place. They simply lacked the political will and competence needed to deal with developmental issues,” Tjirera maintained.  
“They lacked the political will and competence to deal with issues such as land and genocide. They ought to have been deliberate in providing housing right from the beginning. Further it was during Nujoma’s Leadership and that of SWAPO that state institutions have been turned into cash cows for the politically connected,” he added.

Big Shoes to Fill

On his part, political science lecturer and analyst, Phanuel Kaapama maintained that Nujoma has many things to be remembered for, especially, his stance to resist oppression in Namibia at a time when it was not fashionable to do so. 
“Nujoma was a pan-Africanist of note, up there along with many other frontline state leaders such as Nkwame Nkrumah and Julius Nyerere. He is just closing the chapter and Namibia will remember him as the first head of state and leader of its liberation struggle,” Kaapama said. 
According to Kaapama, questions of what would become of a Namibia and Swapo without Nujoma had been asked before. 
“Nujoma stood down and moved away from active politics, but Namibia stood strong. Thanks to a good foundation that he and his fellow leaders put in place,” Kaapama said. 
“Nujoma passed the mantle of Swapo leadership in 2007 and the party survived, and will continue to thrive,” he added. 
He concurred that Nujoma did not pay much attention to issues pertaining to corruption, “as they were non issues at that time.”
“Namibia was a young democracy, emerging from war and if any leader completely ignored the issue of peace and stability, that leader would be reckless. Every situation has its own challenges,” Kaapama said, adding that the governance challenges that the country is facing today are completely different from the ones that prevailed in the past.