Pohamba celebrates Nujoma’s legacy

Tribute by former president Hifikepunye Pohamba at founding president Sam Nujoma’s memorial service, 28 February 2025, Windhoek

On Saturday, 8 February 2025, our nation received the devastating news of the passing of the leader of our revolution, our founding president and father of the Namibian nation, Sam ‘Shafiishuna’ Nujoma.

Today, it is with immense pain that I join you in paying our last respects, while at the same time, celebrating the legacy of a great man, a visionary leader and commander-in-chief par excellence. A man who commanded the brave sons and daughters of Namibia through the jungles of Africa, crossing many rivers of blood in pursuit of their freedom and independence of their motherland.

The struggle for freedom and independence was not easy. There were many obstacles along the way, but comrade Sam Nujoma persevered. He commanded and motivated freedom fighters, built and prepared a team of cadres through education and training to be ready to take over the administration of affairs of their motherland as victory was certain. Our struggle needed someone with comrade Nujoma’s calibre to keep us together until victory was achieved. Against all odds, comrade Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma held the movement together and indeed, history was achieved. Namibia is finally free.

As part of the leadership of Swapo, I was privileged to work closely with comrade Sam Nujoma for many years, both in exile and after independence. I first met late comrade Sam Nujoma in Dar es Salaam in 1961.

History tells us that comrade Nujoma became involved in politics in the 1950s through trade unions.

His political career was shaped by his work experiences, his awareness of the dehumanising contract labour system under the Southwest Africa Native Labour Association (Swanla), and his knowledge of the increased campaigns for independence across Africa.

Due to his participation in these activities, comrade Nujoma was dismissed from South African Railways in 1957. In the same year, a group of Namibians working in Cape Town led by Andimba Toivo ya Toivo formed the Ovamboland People’s Congress (OPC). OPC was opposing South Africa’s policies in South West Africa, including the inhumane contract labour system under which people were forced to work for up to two years for meagre wages.

In 1959, comrade Nujoma joined the OPC, which was later transformed to Owamboland People’s Organisation (OPO).

Together with comrade Jacob Kuhangua, co-founder of OPO, they established the Windhoek branch of the organisation at the then Old Location in Windhoek. At its first congress in 1959, comrade Sam Nujoma was elected president of OPO.

During the following year, comrade Nujoma travelled to other Namibian towns in secret, mobilising and setting up branch structures of OPO. After the Old Location massacre in Windhoek in December 1959, Sam Nujoma was arrested and charged for organising the protest and faced threats of deportation to his native area in the northern part of the country. Comrade Nujoma was released after one week in custody.

Following a directive by OPO leadership in collaboration with chief Hosea Kutako, it was decided that comrade Nujoma should leave the country and join the other Namibians in exile who were lobbying the United Nations on behalf of the anti-colonial cause for Namibia.

Comrade Nujoma went into exile on 29 February 1960, passing through Bechuanaland from where he travelled to Bulawayo in Southern Rhodesia by train. From Bulawayo, he flew to Salisbury (now Harare) and then travelled to Ndola in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) with the assistance of members of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) of Northern Rhodesia, he crossed into Tanganyika.

In April 1960, comrade Nujoma travelled from Tanganyika to Khartoum, Sudan and from there to Accra, Ghana, where he attended the All African People’s Conference organised by president Nkrumah in protest against the French atomic bomb tests in the Sahara Desert.

At that conference, comrade Nujoma met other African nationalist leaders such as Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Kasa-Vubu of the Congo, president Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, and Frantz Fanon of Algeria. His engagement with other African nationalist leaders left a lasting impression and informed his pan-African outlook.

President Kwame Nkrumah assisted comrade Nujoma to travel to Liberia and later to the United States, where the case on South West Africa was presented to the International Court of Justice. On 19 April 1960, OPO was reconstituted and transformed into South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo) in Windhoek. Comrade Nujoma was elected president in absentia.

Comrade Nujoma fought a good fight. We will continue to sustain his legacy and that of all our heroes and heroines.

May his soul rest in eternal peace.