Kala Gertze dead

KALA Gertze, the eloquent Congress of Democrats MP, is no more – he suffered a fatal asthma attack on Wednesday evening.

Gertze (47) contracted the illness while in exile. “His sudden and premature death in the prime of his promising life is very cruel indeed.Honourable Reinhard Kala Gertze had so much to offer to our Parliament and our nation.We will sorely miss his transparent integrity, excellence and endearing humanity,” said the Speaker of the National Assembly Theo-Ben Gurirab, when he announced the news in parliament yesterday afternoon.He said death was an unavoidable inevitability “as it comes when it will”, respecting neither human calendars nor life’s boundaries.”It is sad news.He told me earlier this year that he developed it (asthma) while in the dungeons.It is a terribly painful and unfortunate death,” said DTA leader Katuutire Kaura.The CoD said Gertze’s death was a great loss, not only to the CoD, but his wife Ria, children and the nation.”He left us in the prime of his life when there was so much he could still contribute.But God in His wisdom decided that Kala’s assignment on earth is complete and has called him home,” the party said.His personal friend and fellow detainee, Oiva Angula, said Gertze’s life was a fascinating story.”He was an unprivileged child, unremarkable youth, young nationalist, unsung hero of our struggle for freedom and a symbol of the resilience of the human spirit that remained by the ‘forces of darkness’,” Angula said.Gertze was a founding member of the CoD and served as the party’s Secretary General from 2004 to 2007 before the party’s fractious Keetmanshoop congress in May 2007, which left the CoD divided.He entered the National Assembly in March 2005 after appearing at number five on the party list.Gertze left Namibia to join Swapo in exile in 1978 and went on to study at the UN Institute for Namibia (Unin) in Lusaka, Zambia.After completing military training at Lubango he was arrested by Swapo in 1983 and tortured until he falsely confessed to being a South African spy.He was detained for six years and upon his release from detention returned to Namibia in 1989.”His sudden and premature death in the prime of his promising life is very cruel indeed.Honourable Reinhard Kala Gertze had so much to offer to our Parliament and our nation.We will sorely miss his transparent integrity, excellence and endearing humanity,” said the Speaker of the National Assembly Theo-Ben Gurirab, when he announced the news in parliament yesterday afternoon.He said death was an unavoidable inevitability “as it comes when it will”, respecting neither human calendars nor life’s boundaries.”It is sad news.He told me earlier this year that he developed it (asthma) while in the dungeons.It is a terribly painful and unfortunate death,” said DTA leader Katuutire Kaura.The CoD said Gertze’s death was a great loss, not only to the CoD, but his wife Ria, children and the nation.”He left us in the prime of his life when there was so much he could still contribute.But God in His wisdom decided that Kala’s assignment on earth is complete and has called him home,” the party said.His personal friend and fellow detainee, Oiva Angula, said Gertze’s life was a fascinating story.”He was an unprivileged child, unremarkable youth, young nationalist, unsung hero of our struggle for freedom and a symbol of the resilience of the human spirit that remained by the ‘forces of darkness’,” Angula said.Gertze was a founding member of the CoD and served as the party’s Secretary General from 2004 to 2007 before the party’s fractious Keetmanshoop congress in May 2007, which left the CoD divided.He entered the National Assembly in March 2005 after appearing at number five on the party list.Gertze left Namibia to join Swapo in exile in 1978 and went on to study at the UN Institute for Namibia (Unin) in Lusaka, Zambia.After completing military training at Lubango he was arrested by Swapo in 1983 and tortured until he falsely confessed to being a South African spy.He was detained for six years and upon his release from detention returned to Namibia in 1989.