WINDHOEK: ‘He fathered an entire nation with the same love and concern with which he fathered his family.’

These were the words of Nangula Geingos, eldest daughter of the late President Hage Geingob while celebrating her father’s legacy at a final intimate memorial service held in his honour at Casa Rosalia on Tuesday.

‘There is a piece of Hage in every one of us, we have been inspired, loved and shaped by his spirit of excellence. In this moment we might feel as though the light he shone on us is dimmed, but we must now be the carriers of that light,’ Geingos, who spoke on behalf of her siblings, said.

Geingos said her late father often worried about the Namibian nation as he did over his own family, often worrying and questioning if all the Namibian children had eaten, whether Namibian business people are given opportunities to succeed, whether the government was doing its part in service delivery, and whether Namibian women and children are well taken care of.

Whenever the answer was not all Namibians,
‘my father applied his whole golden heart, his brilliant mind and his passionate soul to stressing over the lives and livelihoods of his Namibian children,’ she said.

Family friend, Elmo Kaiyamo, in his tribute said the late president ‘wanted us to embrace our diversity, celebrate our achievements, and confront our challenges with courage and determination for it is in the unity of our humanity that we find strength, purpose and a promise of a brighter tomorrow.’

Joan Guriras, the widow of the late Prime Minister Theo Ben Gurirab, described Geingob as a patriot and fearless defender of the Namibian cause, who held an unwavering love for Namibia and fought at great personal inconvenience for Namibia and Africa.

Guriras called on mourners and sympathisers to pay homage to the late president by loving his wife, Monica Geingos and the Geingob children, and rallying behind the family.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency