Statement by Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, president of the Republic of Namibia, Heroes Acre, 7 February 2026.
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This solemn candle lighting ceremony is held to celebrate the lives of our revered founding president, Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, who departed this earth on 8 February 2025, and our third president, Hage Godfried Geingob, who left us on 4 February 2024.
February has indeed gone down in our national history as a month of deep reflection, a month in which we remember two renowned leaders who, each in his own time and in his own way, contributed immensely to the struggle for Namibia’s independence and to the reconstruction and nation building efforts that began on Independence Day, 21 March 1990.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Founding president, Father of the Namibian Nation and leader of our revolution, Nujoma led our liberation struggle under the banner of the Swapo Party as a liberation movement, with unmatched dedication and clarity of purpose, guided by the firm conviction that Namibia would one day be free.
Nujoma inspired many Namibians, young and old, to enlist themselves to fight for the motherland. On 19 April 1960, he was elected as the first president of the Swapo Party and he never turned back on his mission to fight for Namibia’s independence until our motherland was free from the yoke of South African apartheid colonialism.
A strategist of note, Sam Nujoma realised that, to bring about the independence of our country, and when the political and diplomatic fronts were intensified, it was necessary to open another front. Subsequently, the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia was established, thus signalling the opening of the military front under the direct command of Nujoma as commander in chief.
Together, these three fronts formed one united campaign for the freedom and independence of our people.
For three decades, Nujoma relentlessly spearheaded this struggle on the political, diplomatic, and military fronts, culminating in Namibia’s freedom and independence on 21 March 1990.
On that historic day of our independence, president Nujoma proclaimed to the world: “I move, in the name of our people, to declare that Namibia is forever free, sovereign and independent.” This is the independence we must defend today and in the future.
Under his leadership, the newly established Swapo Party-led government adopted the policy of national reconciliation to unite the people and heal the wounds of the past. Development projects were rolled out in water, housing, education, healthcare, roads, and rural electrification.
He initiated and led the formulation and adoption of Vision 2030, a national development roadmap whose conclusion has to be overseen by the eighth administration that I have the privilege to lead.
For the 15 years that Nujoma led this country after independence, Namibians had every reason to celebrate the life of this gallant son of the soil. His teachings continue to guide us in our day-to-day management of government and the Swapo Party.
Nujoma will be remembered by the current and future generations. May his soul rest in eternal peace and glory.
Equally, on 4 February 2024, our third president, Hage Godfried Geingob, passed on just over a year before he could complete his second and final term in office as president of the Republic of Namibia.
President Geingob was deeply rooted in the liberation struggle. As one of the Swapo Party’s representatives in the United States and the Americas, he championed Namibia’s cause at the United Nations and other international fora.
Subsequently, he was also charged with the responsibility to head the United Nations Institute for Namibia in Lusaka, Zambia, where many of our people were prepared and today are holding strategic positions in our country.
He chaired the Constituent Assembly that drafted our Constitution and became Namibia’s first prime minister at independence. Therefore, it is not wrong to call him the Father of the Namibian Constitution. As the first prime minister, he guided the establishment of governance structures and institutions on which we continue to operate with confidence.
Over the years, he served the nation in various capacities, culminating in his election as the third president on 21 March 2015.
His presidency contributed to the strengthening of governance, national unity, peace, stability, and socio-economic development.
These two giants, each in his own time and in his own measure, left an indelible mark on Namibia’s history. Founding president Nujoma laid the firm foundation of our freedom and sovereignty, while President Geingob strengthened that foundation through institution building and a commitment to unity and social progress.
Both leaders championed nation building, tirelessly working to foster unity and create an inclusive society, free from tribalism, division, and corruption. Their efforts emphasised the importance of national cohesion and integrity as pillars for sustainable development. Together, their contributions form part of one continuous national journey.
Today, we are able to see farther as a nation because we stand on the shoulders of these two giants.
To the Nujoma family and the Geingob family, we say: your loss is deeply personal, but it is also shared by the entire Namibian nation, the whole of Africa, and the world. We remain grateful for the sacrifices you made in sharing these gallant sons of the soil with the people of Namibia.
I call upon all of us to preserve their legacies and ensure a society where every Namibian enjoys dignity, justice, and equal opportunities from the abundance this land of ours has to offer.
May their souls continue resting in peace and eternal glory.
I thank you.
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