WINDHOEK: The family of the late President Hage Geingob says they have accepted that his remains will not be taken to his ancestral land to perform funeral rituals, but they are happy that he will be reunited with his fellow comrades at Heroes’ Acre.

In an interview with Nampa, his nephew, John //Khamuseb said Geingob is from the lion clan and that traditionally when a person dies, their remains are taken to the place where their umbilical cord was buried.

‘In our family and in our culture of the lion clan, a person is buried twice. When your umbilical cord is buried, that is your first burial, and when your body is buried, that is your second burial. So, in our culture, you should first go back to your first burial site and that spirit must be cut, whether it is in the traditional or biblical context, because you are taken out of your area of jurisdiction,’//Khamuseb said.

Unfortunately, he said, the family have already promised that they would hand Geingob’s remains over to the State.

‘He was the Comman
der in Chief of the armed forces and this is the first time in Namibia that a sitting president passes on. Our family has accepted the State funeral and we have great respect for the current president who stood firm with our uncle through thick and thin. We honour that decision. No matter what, we respect that he bestowed a Heroes funeral on our uncle. We really feel he must be reunited with his comrades,’//Khamuseb added.

He stressed that it was under the leadership and care of Geingob that the remains of war veterans such as Putuse Appolus, Peter Nanyemba, Isaac Shikongo (Pondo) and Homateni Kalwenya were brought back from exile to Namibia for burial at the Heroes’ Acre.

‘It was under his care that Anton Lubowski’s remains were buried at the Heroes’ Acre. It was under his command that Moses Garoeb’s remains were reburied at Heroes’ Acre. It was under his inspiration that Hidipo Hamutenya who formed another party, maybe out of circumstances, was brought back to the party and was buried at Heroes’ Acre. So,
for us, he has to be reunited with his comrades,’ //Khamuseb maintained.

He further extended appreciation to Namibians for their overwhelming support to Geingob’s family during the mourning period.

‘As a family we sincerely appreciate the Namibian nation as they continue to have commemoration services all over the country in this difficult time. We also extend gratitude to the great Swapo party cadres, who our uncle said were there for him during the most difficult time of the struggle in exile. We express our sincere gratitude to everyone who assisted our uncle in achieving his great dream to become president of the Republic of Namibia. They shaped him as a statesman. Today, showers of accolades are put on his shoulders,’//Khamuseb added.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency