Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, died on Sunday February 4, 2024, whilst receiving treatment for cancer, at the age of 82.
A longtime veteran of the liberation struggle waged by the South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO), Geingob served as Nambia’s first Prime Minister when the country won independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990. He was elected President in 2014, with 87% of the vote, and was re-elected five years later.
Announcing the President’s death, Vice President Nangolo Mbumba, said that the country had “lost a distinguished servant of the people, a liberation struggle icon, the chief architect of our constitution.”
In accordance with the constitution, Mbumba has been sworn in as the country’s fourth president but has stated that he will not be a candidate in November’s presidential election. SWAPO had already selected Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who was serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, as its candidate. She has now been appointed as the country’s Vice President.
In one of his final political acts, Geingob not only backed South Africa’s case charging Israel with genocide at the International Court of Justice, but also criticised Germany, Namibia’s former colonial overlord, for backing Israel’s defence of the charges levelled against it, noting that the country was responsible for the genocide of tens of thousands of Nama and Herero people from 1904 to 1908. “The German government is yet to fully atone for the genocide it committed on Namibian soil,” he noted.
In a message sent on February 5, Chinese President Xi Jinping, said that President Geingob, an outstanding leader of Namibia, had promoted the in-depth development of the China-Namibia comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation during his lifetime and made important contributions to boosting China’s friendship with Namibia and Africa. His death is a great loss to the Namibian people and the Chinese people also lost a good friend.
The same day, Foreign Ministry press spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, responding to a question from Xinhua News Agency, said:
“We express deep condolences over President Hage Geingob’s passing and extend sincere sympathies to the Namibian government and people and to President Geingob’s family. President Geingob was an extraordinary leader of his country. He led the Namibian people in pursuing national independence and liberation and advancing socio-economic development and was supported and loved by the people.
“President Hage Geingob was an old friend of the Chinese people. He oversaw on the Namibian side the upgrade of China-Namibia ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the deepening of the relationship, and he made important contributions to the friendship between our two countries. The Chinese people firmly stand with the Namibian people in this time of grief.”
The following article was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.
BEIJING, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolences to Namibia’s newly sworn-in President Nangolo Mbumba over the death of former Namibian President Hage Geingob.
On behalf of the Chinese government and people, and in his own name, Xi extended profound condolences and expressed sincere sympathy to the Namibian government and people, as well as Geingob’s family.
In his message, Xi pointed out that President Geingob, an outstanding leader of Namibia, had promoted the in-depth development of the China-Namibia comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation during his lifetime and made important contributions to boosting China’s friendship with Namibia and Africa.
His death is a great loss to the Namibian people, and the Chinese people also lost a good friend, Xi said.
He added that China cherishes the profound traditional friendship between China and Namibia and is ready to work with the Namibian side to push forward the continuous development of the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.
