At the age of 19 in 1992, Andoline Luipert started working as Sam Nujoma’s personal waitress at State House and accompanied him on trips to various countries.
With his support a few years later, she received a Commonwealth bursary to study tourism and hospitality in Cyprus, a small island located between Turkey and Greece.
Today, thanks to that opportunity, she has built a successful career and currently serves as a vocational instructor in tourism and hospitality at Kai//Ganaxab Youth Skills Training Centre outside Mariental.
In an interview, Luipert said Nujoma helped lay a path for her into her future.
“At State House, he was more like a father figure. We worked for him, but he made us feel at home. He moulded me into the person I am today and if it was not for his guidance and help, I might not have been where I am today,” stated Luipert.
Luipert started working for Nujoma after one day, while making tea for her mother and uncle – former deputy prime minister Hendrik Witbooi – and overhearing a conversation about Nujoma looking for a personal waitress.
She immediately applied.
She said working at State House was an unforgettable experience.
“The experience was something else; Nujoma was a very talkative man who loved to laugh and interact with everyone, but was strict with time.
He was very health conscious, [he] woke up early every morning to jog around the old State House,” she recalled.
Luipert also fondly remembered how he used to call her ‘Kadona’ and how he would interact with staff and point out the animals to them while travelling.
After returning from her studies in Cyprus in 1997, Luipert and her colleague were summoned to State House by Nujoma to welcome them back and they continued to work there.
After three months, she applied for an employment opportunity through the then Ministry of Youth and Sports to work at Kai//Ganaxab and was accepted. In 1998 she moved to Mariental and has been working at the centre since then.
Luipert shared that the last time she saw Nujoma face to face was in 2009 at Hendrik Witbooi’s funeral.
One of the waitresses noticed her and informed Nujoma that ‘Kadona’ was among the people at the funeral, so Nujoma summoned her to the tent where he was sitting.
“He asked me how I was doing, and [said] that I should continue teaching the people in the south; a promise I made to him. And to this day, I still uphold that promise,” stated Luipert.
The founding president was laid to rest on Saturday. Nujoma was 95 years old when he died on 8 February 2025 in Windhoek.
Luipert said that if she had the opportunity to say something to Nujoma for the very last time, it would be: “Thank you for everything, Tatekulu. You are loved.”
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