The president of Namibia, Hage Geingob, died early on Sunday morning at the Lady Pohamba Hospital in Windhoek at 82. Having played a significant role in Namibia’s fight for independence, Mr Geingob disclosed his battle with cancer to the public just last month.
Nangolo Mbumba, the new president of Namibia and former vice president, officially announced his predecessor’s passing a few hours earlier. He has already taken the oath of office as the new president and will continue in this role until elections later this year.
Mr Geingob, a key member of the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), held key political positions since Namibia gained independence in 1990. He first assumed the presidency in 2015.
South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his condolences, describing Geingob as an “outstanding leader.” Ramaphosa highlighted the privilege he had experienced during a Working Visit to Namibia in October 2023, hosted by President Geingob and the Namibian cabinet.
“President Geingob was a towering veteran of Namibia’s liberation from colonialism and apartheid. He was also greatly influential in the solidarity that the people of Namibia extended to the people of South Africa so that we could be free today. We are therefore filled with appreciation and sadness at the passing of a comrade in struggle and a close partner in our democratic dispensation. May his soul rest in peace,” the president said.
