The first president of independent Namibia, Sam Nujoma, passed away at the age of 95 in the capital city, Windhoek on Sunday, February 9.
As per multiple outlets, Nujoma played a key role in Namibia’s struggle for independence from South Africa in 1990.
In the same year, he helped create South West African People’s Organization (Swapo), a movement for liberation.
As per the reports, Nujoma had been in the hospital for the past three weeks due to an illness but he was not able to recover.
Namibian President Mbumba announced his death with deep sorrow in an official statement, noting, “He inspired us to rise to our feet and to become masters of this vast land of our ancestors.”
The statement added, “Our founding father lived a long and consequential life during which he exceptionally served the people of his beloved country."
In 2005, the Namibian parliament officially gave him the tittle, “Founding Father of the Namibian Nation.”
While Nujoma was praised, he also faced criticism both within Namibia and internationally.
He was accused of being intolerant towards media criticism, opposing homosexuality and changing the constitution to allow himself to run for a third term.
Nujoma was also a close ally of Zimbabwe’s leader Robert Mugabe and supported Mugabe’s policy of taking land from white farmers.
