Dad was an avid reader– Geingob’s daughter

Nangula Geingos, the daughter of Namibia’s third president, Hage Geingob, says her father liked reading to be a better leader.

She was speaking at a remembrance ceremony at Heroes’ Acre to honour Geingob and founding president Sam Nujoma on Saturday.

Geingos said her father was the greatest teacher and she feared no one else would be able to teach her when he died.

She said the country deserves leaders who read to serve better and commit fully, because they care.

“The lessons he taught me were the same ones that shaped this country. He taught me that timeliness is respect, and he was also the epitome of cleanliness, applying this at home, in his car and at his office,” she said.

During the launch of the autobiography of Namibia’s ambassador to Senegal Trudie Amulungu nine years ago, Geingob expressed concern about Namibians not reading enough.

He said at the time that this keeps people from gaining the knowledge needed to make informed decisions.

In an interview with Confidente in 2017, Geingob said he loved relaxing by reading and that his leadership was inspired by the books he has read.

Geingob died on 4 February 2024, while Nujoma died on 8 February 2025.

Meanwhile, lawyer Sisa Namandje on Saturday said Geingob was the chief architect of Namibia’s Constitution and because of his work, Namibia’s constitutional architecture serves the country better today.

“Because of him, we have an independent judiciary, a productive legislature and a performing executive. Having worked with Hage on matters pertaining to the Constitution, he was a person who respected the rule of law,” he said.

Geingob’s widow Monica Geingos said her husband was a good man who rejected hypocrisy and embraced his own imperfections, remaining the same person in both his public and private life.

She said both Geingob and Nujoma were men of their word.

“Consistency in leadership should be celebrated in the two leaders,” she said.

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah at the event described Nujoma and Geingob as pillars of unity and peace.

She said each played a critical role in fighting freedom and strengthening unity and stability.

The president described them as founding giants, with Nujoma being the founding president and Geingob the founding prime minister.

“These two giants left an indelible mark on Namibia’s history. Today, we are able to see further as a nation because we stand on the shoulders of these two giants,” she said.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said development projects in water provision, housing, education, healthcare, roads, and rural electrification were rolled out under their leadership and called the nation to preserve the duo’s legacy by ensuring a society grounded in dignity, justice and equal opportunity.

Speaking on behalf of the Nujoma family, Utoni Nujoma said his father’s physical absence continues to be difficult, adding that the past year has been particularly difficult for his mother. Nujoma’s nephew, Hiskia Asino, said Nujoma was not only a great leader but a family man who taught them to serve others selflessly.

“He was a great father, uncle and grandfather who guided us with wisdom,” Asino said.

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