FORMER Prime Minister and Speaker of the National Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab, will be buried at Heroes’ Acre on Saturday.
The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Mbeuta Ua-Ndjarakana, on Monday said President Hage Geingob has accorded Gurirab a hero’s funeral.
The Ua-Ndjarakana said Gurirab’s remains would be flown to his hometown of Usakos for a memorial service on Wednesday.
The main memorial service will be held in Windhoek on Friday, when Gurirab’s body will lie in state at Parliament Gardens, before his burial at the national monument on Saturday.
Gurirab died in the Medi Clinic Private Hospital in Windhoek on Saturday. He was 80.
He served as Swapo’s secretary for foreign affairs from 1986 to 1990, playing a major role in the country’s liberation struggle. He then served as minister of foreign affairs from Namibia’s independence in 1990 until 2002, when he started working as Prime Minister.
Gurirab served in this position until 2005 and was then Speaker of the National Assembly until 2015.
He was also Swapo’s chief representative to the United Nations for 14 years.
The seasoned diplomat held the title of dean of African foreign ministers and in over 35 years in the field of international diplomacy, he worked with three generations of world leaders and five secretary generals of the United Nations.
He is survived by his wife, Joan Guriras, two sons and his grandchildren.
– Nampa
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