Namibian Founding President Sam Nujoma Dies

The revered freedom fighter Sam Nujoma, who led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990 and served as its first president for 15 years, has passed away at the age of 95.

 

His death was announced on Sunday by Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba, who confirmed that Nujoma died on Saturday night after being hospitalized in the capital, Windhoek.

 

“The foundations of the Republic of Namibia have been shaken,” Mbumba said in a statement. “Over the past three weeks, the Founding President of the Republic of Namibia and Founding Father of the Namibian Nation was hospitalized for medical treatment and observation due to ill health. 

Unfortunately, this time, the most gallant son of our land could not recover.”

 

Mbumba hailed Nujoma’s pivotal role in Namibia’s liberation, describing him as a leader who “marshalled the Namibian people during the darkest hours of our struggle for independence.”

A Legacy of Liberation and Leadership

Nujoma was widely regarded as the architect of modern Namibia.

A charismatic leader, he steered the country toward democracy and stability following decades of colonial rule under Germany and a bitter war of independence against South Africa.

 

Spending nearly 30 years in exile as the head of the independence movement, he returned to Namibia for its first democratic elections in 1989.

 

He was subsequently elected president in 1990 when Namibia officially gained independence.

 

Nujoma was among the last of a generation of African leaders who led their nations out of colonial or white-minority rule, alongside figures such as South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda, Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere, and Mozambique’s Samora Machel.

 

Under his leadership, Namibia pursued national healing and reconciliation, overcoming deep divisions caused by apartheid-era policies that segregated the population along racial and ethnic lines.

 

 

Even political opponents acknowledged Nujoma’s role in establishing a democratic constitution and integrating white politicians and business leaders into the new government.

 

Despite his nation-building efforts at home, Nujoma often made international headlines for his outspoken rhetoric.

 

He criticized Western policies and, at a 2000 UN conference in Geneva, controversially claimed that AIDS was a man-made biological weapon. He also took a strong stance against homosexuality, calling it a “foreign and corrupt ideology.”

 

Nujoma maintained close ties with countries that supported Namibia’s liberation struggle, including North Korea, Cuba, Russia, and China.

However, he also engaged with Western nations, becoming the first African leader to be hosted at the White House by then-U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1993.

 

Clinton described him as “the George Washington of his country” and “a genuine hero of the world’s movement toward democracy.”

 

A strong advocate for gender equality, Nujoma championed the advancement of women in leadership.

 

His legacy in this regard was reinforced last year when Namibia elected its first female president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is set to take office next month.

 

From Humble Beginnings to National Leader Born into a rural, impoverished family as the eldest of 11 children, Nujoma’s early life was centred around cattle herding and subsistence farming.

 

He attended a mission school before moving to Windhoek, where he worked for South African Railways.

 

His political activism led to his arrest in 1959 following a protest.

 

After his release, he fled to Tanzania, where he co-founded the South West African People’s Organization (SWAPO), becoming its president in 1960.

 

SWAPO has remained Namibia’s ruling party since independence, with Nujoma leading it for 47 years until stepping down in 2007.

 

When South Africa refused to relinquish control of Namibia despite a 1966 UN resolution, Nujoma launched SWAPO’s armed struggle.

Reflecting on the early days of the conflict, he once remarked: “We started the armed struggle with only two sub-machine guns and two pistols. I got them from Algeria, plus some rounds of ammunition.”

 

While SWAPO did not achieve a military victory in the independence war, Nujoma’s diplomatic efforts secured broad international support.

 

The UN recognized SWAPO as Namibia’s legitimate representative, ultimately pressuring South Africa to withdraw.

 

Though he lacked formal higher education, Nujoma dedicated his life to the liberation cause, once stating: “Others got their education while I led the struggle.”

 

His contributions to Namibia’s independence and development cement his place as a towering figure in the nation’s history.

 

Africanews/Patience Ameh