African leaders past and present converged in Namibia on Saturday to pay their respects to the country’s “founding father,” Sam Nujoma, who passed away at the age of 95.
Nujoma was a key figure in Namibia’s struggle for independence from South Africa’s racist white minority government and later became the country’s first democratically elected president, serving from 1990 to 2005.
Dignitaries in attendance included South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, former President Thabo Mbeki, and ex-Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.
President Nangolo Mbumba delivered a heartfelt speech, praising Nujoma’s leadership and saying, “We fought under your command, … won the liberation struggle, and forever removed apartheid colonialism from the face of Namibia”.
Nujoma’s coffin, draped in the Namibian national flag, was laid to rest at Heroes’ Acre, a North Korean-built war memorial spire that honors those who fought for independence from German colonialism and later South African occupation.
Despite facing criticism for his intolerance of critical media coverage and diatribes against homosexuality, Nujoma is remembered as a unifying leader who played a crucial role in shaping Namibia’s history.
