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Hage Geingob: “Outstanding servant of the people”
Photo: Carlo Allegri / REUTERS
Namibian President Hage Geingob is dead. He died early Sunday morning in a hospital in Windhoek, his deputy Nangolo Mbumba announced on social media. Geingob was 82 years old. Geingob's wife Monica and his children were at his side. Geingob revealed that he had cancer in January.
"The Namibian nation has lost an outstanding servant of the people, an icon of the liberation struggle, the leading architect of our constitution and the pillar of the Namibian house," said now incumbent President Mbumba in his statement.
Born on August 3, 1941 in what was then South West Africa, he joined the liberation movement in the 1960s to free his country from foreign administration by neighboring South Africa, which was run by the apartheid regime at the time. Geingob became a member of the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO), which later violently pursued its goal of independence with military support from the Soviet Union and Cuba.
Geingob initially acted as SWAPO's deputy in Botswana and was appointed SWAPO representative to the United Nations in New York in 1964, where he simultaneously studied political science at renowned US universities. When the UN Institute for Namibia was founded in 1975, Geingob became its director, a position he held until his return to his African homeland in 1989.
Geingob was one of the leading figures in his party and played a crucial role until Namibia's independence in 1990. Among other things, he was one of the main authors of the country's new constitution. He was considered a brilliant thinker and accomplished rhetorician who fought for the rights of the oppressed. His vision of a united and economically strong Namibia made him a respected head of state, both within the country and at the international level, especially during his first term in office from 2014. One of Geingob's most important political achievements is the establishment of a public service in Namibia. He also campaigned for nature conservation and eco-tourism.
However, during his second term, for which he narrowly received a majority of votes, Geingob lost public reputation. One of the reasons for the sharp decline in trust was his inability to stop mismanagement and unemployment. His lavish lifestyle and his increasing political cooperation with China also met with popular discontent.
In 2021, Geingob faced serious corruption allegations of his own: He was accused of embezzling millions of dollars by allegedly instructing government officials to divert funds from a state-owned fishing company for political bribes. A result of the investigation is pending.
Geingob's successor Mbumba called on the citizens of Namibia to "stay calm and level-headed." The Cabinet will meet immediately to make the necessary arrangements. Namibia will have presidential and parliamentary elections towards the end of the year.
sak/dpa