Farewell to ‘Father of Nation’

THOUSANDS of Swapo members and supporters said goodbye to the party’s founding president Sam Nujoma at a rally held in his honour in Katutura on Saturday.

“We express our deep-founded appreciation to the most outstanding living legend of our liberation struggle, the father of our nation,” said his newly elected successor, President Hifikepunye Pohamba. “We express our deep-founded appreciation to the most outstanding living legend of our liberation struggle, the father of our nation,” said Pohamba to loud cheers from the 15 000-strong crowd.”Comrade Nujoma showed Namibians that serving the people is an ideal to live up to and his sterling leadership, courage and bravery should inspire all of us to emulate his self-sacrifice, which was crowned by Independence in 1990,” Pohamba added.Nujoma was given traditional gifts such as a carved walking stick and a cow as the stadium rocked with well-known liberations songs, enthusiastically sung by the crowds and accompanied by the Swapo music group Ndilimani.The Swapo Women’s League leaders recited a special poem written for the occasion.”Our country witnesses a peaceful, democratic and transparent transition of leadership and I ask all members and the nation to accept this,” Nujoma said in his farewell speech.”I have trust and confidence in my successor, Pohamba, newly elected Vice President Hage Geingob and the first woman Secretary General, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana,” Nujoma told the cheering crowd.Nujoma, who turns 79 in May, has been at the helm of Swapo for 47 years since its inception in 1960.Upon his arrival in the sports complex, Pohamba was greeted enthusiastically by the crowd as they rushed to the bottom row of the pavilion to greet Nujoma’s successor, but were held at bay by the Police.Pohamba, who will be Swapo’s sole presidential candidate in the 2009 presidential elections in terms of a congress resolution, promised social justice and “economic reconciliation, ensuring that all our people share in the nation’s wealth”.”We will not promise you what we cannot deliver,” Pohamba added, “we must recognise that it will take time and significant resources to deliver our people from poverty.”On land reform, Pohamba said the party was committed to “redressing the imbalance” of land ownership.Pohamba then introduced his Vice President, Hage Geingob, who was greeted with “Hage we love you” from the public.For the first time Pohamba shouted the slogan “Swapo united, now hard work!” with a powerful voice as party president.”We express our deep-founded appreciation to the most outstanding living legend of our liberation struggle, the father of our nation,” said Pohamba to loud cheers from the 15 000-strong crowd.”Comrade Nujoma showed Namibians that serving the people is an ideal to live up to and his sterling leadership, courage and bravery should inspire all of us to emulate his self-sacrifice, which was crowned by Independence in 1990,” Pohamba added.Nujoma was given traditional gifts such as a carved walking stick and a cow as the stadium rocked with well-known liberations songs, enthusiastically sung by the crowds and accompanied by the Swapo music group Ndilimani.The Swapo Women’s League leaders recited a special poem written for the occasion.”Our country witnesses a peaceful, democratic and transparent transition of leadership and I ask all members and the nation to accept this,” Nujoma said in his farewell speech.”I have trust and confidence in my successor, Pohamba, newly elected Vice President Hage Geingob and the first woman Secretary General, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana,” Nujoma told the cheering crowd.Nujoma, who turns 79 in May, has been at the helm of Swapo for 47 years since its inception in 1960.Upon his arrival in the sports complex, Pohamba was greeted enthusiastically by the crowd as they rushed to the bottom row of the pavilion to greet Nujoma’s successor, but were held at bay by the Police.Pohamba, who will be Swapo’s sole presidential candidate in the 2009 presidential elections in terms of a congress resolution, promised social justice and “economic reconciliation, ensuring that all our people share in the nation’s wealth”.”We will not promise you what we cannot deliver,” Pohamba added, “we must recognise that it will take time and significant resources to deliver our people from poverty.” On land reform, Pohamba said the party was committed to “redressing the imbalance” of land ownership.Pohamba then introduced his Vice President, Hage Geingob, who was greeted with “Hage we love you” from the public.For the first time Pohamba shouted the slogan “Swapo united, now hard work!” with a powerful voice as party president.