Kandara hailed as ‘a saint’ at funeral

ABOUT 1 000 people turned out to pay their last respects to the late Lazarus Kandara at the town cemetery at Otjiwarongo on Saturday.

Kandara died on August 24 in front of the Windhoek Police Station. He is claimed to have shot himself hours after his arrest in connection with the missing N$30 million in the Avid-SSC scandal.Hordes of people turned up at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Orwetoveni suburb, but not all could be accommodated, as the church was already packed before the service started at 09h00.Most resorted to sitting in their cars, which lined Libertina Amathila Street, the longest street in the Orwetoveni suburb.Some sat on chairs outside the church, straining to hear what was being said from the altar, at least 20 metres away.Yet others sought shade on a blazing hot day by sitting next to hedges surrounding the church.In a no-holds-barred sermon, Pastor Paul /Goagoseb sketched the late Kandara’s life starting from his humble beginning as a young student at Augustineum to his flamboyant lifestyle before his death.The Pastor described Kandara “as a gift from God” and said he was someone who always cared for others.According to /Goagoseb, Kandara’s selflessness was the direct cause of his death because he could not stand by and watch by while his fellow men was suffering.”To some of us Lazarus (Kandara) was a saint, someone who took from the rich to give to the poor.Even this very church you are sitting in today benefited from Kandara’s generosity in a very, very big way.”The most obvious is the two bells he bought for the church and which he even mentioned during his testimony in court.And whether you like it or not, these bells will hang in this church and you will hear them every day,” he said amidst loud cheers from members of the congregation.The largest cheer came when /Goagoseb said: “Kandara might be dead, but his voice will still be heard for many years to come, for as long as you hear these bells you will hear Kandara’s voice.”/Goagoseb said Kandara had never been someone who turned his back on or ignored the plight of his people whenever the church approached him for assistance.”Indeed, the records are there to prove that and anyone eager to see what he gave to the church thus far should feel free to come and look.We are not hiding anything from anyone who wants to see what or how much Kandara gave to this church.”We are a very transparent congregation and we have absolutely nothing to hide.So if you feel the need to come and look at our books, feel free to do so but I must warn you that you should be able to face the consequences,” he told mourners as the four-hour-long service drew to a close.The funeral procession to the cemetery reflected the diversity of the people attending the funeral – the cars ranged from luxury vehicles to the ordinary; their registration plates from Windhoek to Oshakati, Keetmanshoop, and some from as far as Johannesburg, South Africa.Among the most prominent mourners were former Prime Minister Hage Geingob, Damara Paramount Chief Justus //Garoeb, Kunene Governor Dudu Murorua, former New Era Managing Director Protasius Ndauendapo and lawyers Otniel Podewiltz, Lucius Murorua and Kandara’s former team manager at Sorento Bucks, Japhet Helao.He is claimed to have shot himself hours after his arrest in connection with the missing N$30 million in the Avid-SSC scandal.Hordes of people turned up at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Orwetoveni suburb, but not all could be accommodated, as the church was already packed before the service started at 09h00.Most resorted to sitting in their cars, which lined Libertina Amathila Street, the longest street in the Orwetoveni suburb.Some sat on chairs outside the church, straining to hear what was being said from the altar, at least 20 metres away.Yet others sought shade on a blazing hot day by sitting next to hedges surrounding the church.In a no-holds-barred sermon, Pastor Paul /Goagoseb sketched the late Kandara’s life starting from his humble beginning as a young student at Augustineum to his flamboyant lifestyle before his death.The Pastor described Kandara “as a gift from God” and said he was someone who always cared for others.According to /Goagoseb, Kandara’s selflessness was the direct cause of his death because he could not stand by and watch by while his fellow men was suffering.”To some of us Lazarus (Kandara) was a saint, someone who took from the rich to give to the poor.Even this very church you are sitting in today benefited from Kandara’s generosity in a very, very big way.”The most obvious is the two bells he bought for the church and which he even mentioned during his testimony in court.And whether you like it or not, these bells will hang in this church and you will hear them every day,” he said amidst loud cheers from members of the congregation.The largest cheer came when /Goagoseb said: “Kandara might be dead, but his voice will still be heard for many years to come, for as long as you hear these bells you will hear Kandara’s voice.”/Goagoseb said Kandara had never been someone who turned his back on or ignored the plight of his people whenever the church approached him for assistance.”Indeed, the records are there to prove that and anyone eager to see what he gave to the church thus far should feel free to come and look.We are not hiding anything from anyone who wants to see what or how much Kandara gave to this church.”We are a very transparent congregation and we have absolutely nothing to hide.So if you feel the need to come and look at our books, feel free to do so but I must warn you that you should be able to face the consequences,” he told mourners as the four-hour-long service drew to a close.The funeral procession to the cemetery reflected the diversity of the people attending the funeral – the cars ranged from luxury vehicles to the ordinary; their registration plates from Windhoek to Oshakati, Keetmanshoop, and some from as far as Johannesburg, South Africa.Among the most prominent mourners were former Prime Minister Hage Geingob, Damara Paramount Chief Justus //Garoeb, Kunene Governor Dudu Murorua, former New Era Managing Director Protasius Ndauendapo and lawyers Otniel Podewiltz, Lucius Murorua and Kandara’s former team manager at Sorento Bucks, Japhet Helao.