I am the eldest son of our beloved departed father, Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, who is affectionately and colloquially known by many as the ‘Founding Father’.
I left Namibia in 1974 to join the liberation struggle under the leadership of Swapo. I received military training and joined the military front like many of my comrades whose sole purpose was to liberate Namibia from the racist apartheid South African regime.
Our journey into exile was like that of many Namibians who left to fight for freedom.
Our father felt that the children of other Namibian parents were freedom fighters and there would be no exception for his children.
With my two brothers, the late John Ndeshipanda and Sakaria Nefungo, we joined the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia and I was assigned to the Eastern Front.
This illustrates that our father instilled in his family the values of fairness and commitment to bigger causes: The war of liberation for Namibia and the subsequent development and prosperity of the Namibian people were at the centre of his existence.
We were not insulated from the possibility of death during the liberation struggle. To us, our father was a commander and we followed his instructions, relied on his wisdom forged over decades of leadership from a very young age. Importantly, he instilled in us the values of respect for elders and solidarity with fellow human beings.
ENDURING BONDS
In 1978, our revered mother – whose nurturing strength and unwavering commitment to Namibia’s liberation inspired countless souls – bravely crossed the border into Botswana.
Accompanied by our younger sister, Usuta Imbili-Nujoma, and several nieces and nephews, she embarked on this perilous journey with determination and a heart full of hope.
Among those who accompanied her was our current first lady, Sustjie Mbumba, and her daughter Ripuree – testament to the enduring bonds of leadership and compassion that emerged during our struggle for freedom.
My mother’s courageous passage not only underscored her profound resolve but also illuminated her role as a beacon of maternal love and support, nurturing both her own children and the many lives she so selflessly embraced.
HARASSMENT
We were made aware that our father was born at a time when this vast land of our forefathers was under colonial occupation.
From an early age, comrade president detested white oppression of the black majority.
He realised that the despotic apartheid system needed to be dismantled and someone needed to lead that fight.
In that vein, sometimes, from a family perspective, it was very hard for us.
I vividly recall, as a young child, in 1959 when my father left Windhoek and travelled clandestinely all over the country to open the Ovamboland People’s Organisation branch offices.
On his arrival at many of those places, before he even disembarked from the train, the police were already looking for him; they would have noticed he was not in Windhoek and would send cable messages to all train stations across the length and breadth of then South West Africa to arrest him.
Nevertheless, he always came up with strategies on how to evade the tactics of the oppressive regime.
Our family was regularly harassed by the apartheid colonial forces and our father had to endure constant arrest and intimidation.
A TIME TO CARE
Our father was a loving husband to his dear wife, our mother, Theopoldine Kovambo Nujoma, founding first lady.
He was a caring father to my siblings and I, as well as a nurturing head of the family who devoted time to the Nujoma and Kondombolo families.
Our father was a pillar of strength and a fountain of wisdom in the family. Although we could not have him around us all the time, we understood that he embodied and personified the liberation struggle for Namibia’s freedom and independence.
Over the past few years, our father became frail, as those who age do.
As a family we realised it was time to reciprocate the love and care showered on us throughout the years.
Each moment we were able to spend with father, each act of kindness, became a gesture of gratitude for the precious gift of family.
Together, let’s celebrate the heroes in our lives, honouring the sacrifices and cherishing the moments that shape our stories as families.
I know we all get busy and these challenges can feel overwhelming and we forget just how annoying we were, and the challenges we put them through, as children.
Let us not forget the sacrifices they made for us.
BULLET-PROOF ETHICS
The best tribute to a father who led the Namibian revolution is to put his example into practice.
It is the discipline of hard work. Empty talk without hard work annoyed him.
As commander-in-chief, ‘Comrade President’ as I used to call him, was a revolutionary with bullet-proof ethics in the true sense of the word.
These ethics guided his conscience and actions.
Undoubtedly, it is why he was so successful and diligent in executing his duties as a family man, freedom fighter, Swapo president and founding president of the Republic of Namibia.
We are immensely comforted in the knowledge and pride that he has left an indelible legacy.
Comrade president, our father and our tatekulu shared many basic principles that we must maintain, such as education; knowing how to listen to others; how to learn from others and how to respect all human beings.
I agree that heroes and heroines do not die, but that their spirits live on among us.
It is now our solemn responsibility to strive together to live not only as a family and build the future of our country to which he dedicated his life, but also to live in peace and harmony as a nation, by upholding the policy of national reconciliation he initiated.
Our father will forever remain our icon, an icon we shared with the Namibian people he so dearly loved,
He demonstrated that love through his commitment to freedom for Namibians and eventually their development and economic emancipation.
WORDS OF WISDOM
We will forever cherish and remember our father’s capacity to care for his fellow human beings and his coherence between his thoughts and his actions.
We will pick up from where he left off and take his mantle to keep the family focused and disciplined.
As our father used to say: “We must maintain unity of purpose and action. We must remain vigilant and disciplined too, and we must have respect among ourselves. A nation without respect among its rank and file will never be able to stand on its own feet!”
In addition, the family must observe our culture and traditional norms and values and respect our traditional authorities.
As our father used to say: “A nation without culture is like a tree without roots. When the wind blows, it uproots that tree!”
Similarly, we must maintain unity of purpose and action as we are reminded by our father: “A people united, striving to achieve a common good for all members of the society, will always emerge victorious!”
The founding father has run his race. Let us allow him to go and rest in peace. Farewell our father!
- Utoni Nujoma, minister of labour, industrial relations and employment creation. This is extracted from a family tribute given at a memorial service in honour of his father, Sam Nujoma, the first president of independent Namibia.
In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.
The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
