WINDHOEK: Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba has said one of the best ways Namibians can honour the late President Hage Geingob is for them to continue executing their mandates on the basis of accountability, transparency, honesty and commitment.

Mbumba, who made these remarks at the late president’s official memorial service in Windhoek on Saturday, added that Namibians should understand that, as the late president used to say, ‘Without effective governance and without crucial governance fundamentals, development cannot take place.’

‘Like a fallen Baobab tree, your branches, your leaves and your seeds will ensure that your legacy lives on. Your great name, Hage G Geingob, will not die, it will remain forever etched in our hearts,’ said Mbumba.

He emphasised that Namibians should ensure that the policies of the late president will be pursued until they achieve their intended purpose – that of achieving shared prosperity for all Namibians as part of the second struggle for economic emancipation.

Mbumba said
the words of the late president that said ‘inclusivity spells harmony and exclusivity spells conflict’ has left Namibians with the foundations for continued peace and unity.

‘You have left us with processes, systems and institutions for an effective governance architecture which we will take care of. You have left us with an economic roadmap towards prosperity. We will take care of one another and most importantly, we will take care of your enduring legacy, the Namibian House of shared prosperity, where no one feels left out,’ he said.

Mbumba said Geingob was a living testament of international and Pan African solidarity and undoubtedly, given his many talents and gifts, he will go down in history as a peacemaker and diplomat.

He added that from the moment the late president walked through the halls of State House, he had to deal with a myriad of economic challenges, unprecedented droughts and the devastating impacts of COVID-19.

Mbumba was however quick to say that Geingob, like the indomitable lion he w
as, withstood all challenges and remained steadfast and resolute in his quest to promote economic recovery and growth, employment creation and the provision of basics such as housing.

‘From the beginning of your presidency, to the very end, you the patriotic first citizen, the staunch Pan-Africanist, the peacemaker and unifier led with your heart, your intellect and your conscience. You led with courage and conviction and left us a template for success,’ he said.

Mbumba said Geingob was not only ‘a most distinguished luminary, a peerless personality and a colossus of contemporary leadership, but he was also a man who lived a life of destiny and purpose.’

Source: The Namibia Press Agency