Gabes Shihepo passes away

THE Deputy Minister of Safety and Security, Gabes Shihepo (63), died early yesterday morning in the Ongwediva Medi-Park private hospital, where he was admitted last week while he was on an official trip to the North.

Swapo yesterday described Shihepo as “a freedom fighter” while some opposition politicians said he was “a friendly and very kind person”. “Comrade Shihepo was a freedom fighter who did not waver,” Swapo Secretary General Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana told The Namibian.Iivula-Ithana said they were puzzled by the number of senior Swapo politicians who had passed away this year, because it had not happened before.”But, it the work of nature.We just have to give each other strength,” she said.DTA President Katuutire Kaura said: “He was a very friendly person.”He said although in the National Assembly he spoke for his party, he was friendly with MPs of other parties.”We will miss him a lot,” Kaura added.Congress of Democrats (CoD) leader Ben Ulenga said the late Shihepo was “a co-operative, positive and friendly person”.”I came to know him long ago from school days and he was also a good teacher,” said Ulenga.Ignatius Shixwameni of the All People’s Party described the late Shihepo as a man who did not like to engage in political quarrels.”He was really a gentleman, both in politics and social life.He was a cool, calm and collected man and a peacemaker.And because of that, he will be missed in the Namibian political system,” said Shixwameni.Before he became Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting in October 1999, Shihepo was the President of Namibian National Farmers’ Union (NNFU) from 1995 and represented the union on the Agribank Board of Directors.NNFU Executive Director Oloff Munjanu said the late Shihepo did a lot for the union.For example, he led a march to State House demanding that the land-reform process be accelerated.”He was also instrumental in setting up our offices here in Windhoek,” said Munjanu.He added that the late Shihepo had also solved some squabbles within the NNFU.”He helped unite communal farmers and improved the relationship between the NNFU and Government,” he said.Shihepo was also the chairperson of Omahangu Farmers’ Association (Omafa) from 1992 to 1995 and served as chairperson of the Mangetti Farmers’ Union from 1992 to 1999.Shihepo was elected a member of the Swapo Central Committee in 2002.He was born on March 26 1945 at Etale in the Ohangwena Region but lived at Ohakweenyaga in Oshana Region.He taught school at Omeege Primary School in the Oshana Region in 1968 and later became principal of the Ongwediva Combined School from 1975 to 1999.”Comrade Shihepo was a freedom fighter who did not waver,” Swapo Secretary General Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana told The Namibian.Iivula-Ithana said they were puzzled by the number of senior Swapo politicians who had passed away this year, because it had not happened before. “But, it the work of nature.We just have to give each other strength,” she said.DTA President Katuutire Kaura said: “He was a very friendly person.”He said although in the National Assembly he spoke for his party, he was friendly with MPs of other parties.”We will miss him a lot,” Kaura added.Congress of Democrats (CoD) leader Ben Ulenga said the late Shihepo was “a co-operative, positive and friendly person”.”I came to know him long ago from school days and he was also a good teacher,” said Ulenga.Ignatius Shixwameni of the All People’s Party described the late Shihepo as a man who did not like to engage in political quarrels.”He was really a gentleman, both in politics and social life.He was a cool, calm and collected man and a peacemaker.And because of that, he will be missed in the Namibian political system,” said Shixwameni.Before he became Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting in October 1999, Shihepo was the President of Namibian National Farmers’ Union (NNFU) from 1995 and represented the union on the Agribank Board of Directors.NNFU Executive Director Oloff Munjanu said the late Shihepo did a lot for the union.For example, he led a march to State House demanding that the land-reform process be accelerated.”He was also instrumental in setting up our offices here in Windhoek,” said Munjanu.He added that the late Shihepo had also solved some squabbles within the NNFU.”He helped unite communal farmers and improved the relationship between the NNFU and Government,” he said.Shihepo was also the chairperson of Omahangu Farmers’ Association (Omafa) from 1992 to 1995 and served as chairperson of the Mangetti Farmers’ Union from 1992 to 1999.Shihepo was elected a member of the Swapo Central Committee in 2002.He was born on March 26 1945 at Etale in the Ohangwena Region but lived at Ohakweenyaga in Oshana Region.He taught school at Omeege Primary School in the Oshana Region in 1968 and later became principal of the Ongwediva Combined School from 1975 to 1999.