African leaders, past and present, gathered in Namibia on Saturday to bid farewell to Sam Nujoma, the nation’s founding father who led its fight for independence.
Nujoma, who passed away at 95, was laid to rest at the National Heroes’ Acre in Windhoek, a North Korean-built monument honoring those who fought against colonial oppression.
Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, along with former leaders including Tanzania’s Jakaya Kikwete, attended the state funeral, underscoring Nujoma’s profound impact on Southern Africa’s liberation movements.
“We fought under your command and won the liberation struggle,” Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba declared during his eulogy, his voice heavy with emotion. “You forever removed apartheid colonialism from Namibia’s face.”
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Nujoma’s coffin, draped in Namibia’s red, green, and blue flag, was accompanied by military honors and thousands of mourners. Many wore liberation-era attire, waving flags and singing freedom songs.
His journey from herding cattle as a young boy to becoming Namibia’s first democratically elected president in 1990 symbolized a nation’s fight for self-determination. However, Nujoma’s legacy remains mixed.
His intolerance of media criticism, controversial comments on homosexuality, and a 1998 constitutional amendment allowing a third presidential term drew criticism even as many hailed his role in dismantling apartheid.
