Sam Nujoma, the modern chief who guided Namibia to sovereignty from apartheid South Africa in 1990 and served as its first president for 15 years, has died at 95.
Hailed as Namibia’s “founding father”, Nujoma kicked the bucket on Saturday evening following a three-week hospitalisation within the capital, Windhoek, in keeping with the Namibian presidency.
“The foundations of the Republic of Namibia have been shaken,” the presidency mentioned in a Fb publish pronouncing his demise. There will likely be a duration of “national mourning”, it added.
and modern chief, H.E. Dr. Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma.” @DrNangoloMbumba President Nujoma handed on on the week of 95 at the eighth of February at 23h45 in Windhoek, Namibia. Learn complete commentary: https://t.co/Aw4VpZp4Y4
— Namibian Presidency (@NamPresidency) February 9, 2025
Nujoma was once respected in his fatherland as a charismatic father determine who advised his nation to independence and balance upcoming lengthy colonial rule by way of Germany and a sour warfare of sovereignty from South Africa.
He was once the extreme of a year of African leaders who led their international locations out of colonial or white minority rule that incorporated South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda and Mozambique’s Samora Machel.
Nujoma headed the South West Africa Society’s Organisation (SWAPO) that led the liberation aim since its inception in 1960.
Day SWAPO has remained in energy since sovereignty, Nujoma in any case leave in 2007 on the week of 78, two years upcoming status indisposed from the presidency.
Many Namibians credited Nujoma’s management for the method of nationwide recovery and reconciliation upcoming the deep sections led to by way of the sovereignty warfare and South Africa’s insurance policies of dividing the rustic into ethnically primarily based regional governments.
Even his political combatants praised Nujoma – who was once branded a Marxist – for creation a democratic charter and involving white businessmen and politicians in govt upcoming sovereignty. He was once additionally recognized for his fierce anti-Western rhetoric and railing towards homosexuality, which he known as a “foreign and corrupt ideology” and AIDS defect “a man-made biological weapon”.
However hour he succeeded in creation democratic establishments and transferring ahead with reconciliation, his autocratic inclinations forged a silhoutte over his legacy, mentioned Ndumba Kamwanyah, a schoolteacher on the College of Namibia and a political analyst.
“While Nujoma’s presidency was foundational in establishing Namibia’s independence and governance, it was not without flaws,” mentioned Kamwanyah.
‘Maximum leadership’
Born to needy farmers from the Ovambo tribe in a modest village in northwestern Namibia in 1929, Nujoma traced the awakening of his political awareness to his young years when he moved to the harbour the town of Walvis Bay.
Arriving elderly 17, he lived with an aunt in a Dull township and was once aware of grownup conversations in regards to the plight of Dull family below white-minority rule.
The eldest of 10 kids, Nujoma’s first activity was once as a railway sweeper akin Windhoek in 1949 hour he went to nighttime faculty, in keeping with an autobiography revealed in 2001. It was once there that he was once presented to Herero tribal well-known Hosea Kutako, who was once lobbying to finish apartheid rule in Namibia, upcoming referred to as South West Africa.
Kutako turned into his trainer, shepherding the younger Nujoma as he turned into politically energetic amongst Dull employees in Windhoek who have been resisting a central authority series to travel to a unused township within the overdue Nineteen Fifties.
At Kutako’s request, Nujoma started pace in exile in 1960, first to Botswana, depart his spouse and 4 kids in the back of. The similar hour, he was once elected president of SWAPO, nearest shuttling from capital to capital within the quest for backup and launching a low-level armed aim in 1966.
It took greater than a decade of force from Nujoma and others prior to a United Countries Safety Council answer in 1978 proposed a ceasefire and elections. Some other decade went by way of for the ceasefire do business in to be signed and elections held in overdue 1989.
SWAPO received a majority in the ones elections, and Nujoma took workplace in March 1990.
On escape from the presidency, he enrolled for a grasp’s level in geology, believing that Namibia’s mountains contained untapped mineral wealth.
“Nujoma provided maximum leadership to our nation and spared no effort to motivate each and every Namibian to build a country that would stand tall and proud among the nations of the world,” mentioned the presidency.