Namibia’s president and founding prime minister Hage Geingob died on Sunday at age 82 while receiving treatment for cancer, and the southern African nation quickly swore in his deputy to complete the term in office.
He had been president since 2015 and was set to finish his second and final term this year. His deputy, Vice-President Nangolo Mbumba, was sworn in as acting president in the capital, Windhoek, to complete the term as allowed by the constitution.
Elections are set for November. A government statement said Mbumba will lead Namibia until March 21 of next year, when the winner takes office.
The presidential office said Geingob died in a local hospital with his family by his side. He had returned to Namibia last month from the United States, where he underwent a trial two-day “novel treatment for cancerous cells”, according to his office. In 2014, he said he had survived prostate cancer.
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But opposition leader McHenry Venaani paid tribute on Sunday.
“Indeed, President Geingob’s passing is a great loss not only to Namibia, but to the African continent as a whole,” Venaani said. “Such was the calibre of this master negotiator and statesman, a lighthouse of steadfast leadership in turbulent times.”
He was referring to events between 1904 and 1908 when colonial security forces in Namibia killed tens of thousands of people while putting down an uprising. Germany in 2021 acknowledged that the actions amounted to genocide and pledged more than US$1 billion for infrastructure projects in the country.
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Condolences from African leaders poured in on Sunday.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described Geingob as “a towering veteran of Namibia’s liberation from colonialism and apartheid”.
Kenyan President William Ruto said Geingob “strongly promoted the continent’s voice and visibility at the global arena”.
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa posted on X that Geingob’s “leadership and resilience will be remembered”.
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