OSHAKATI: Namibia’s Ambassador to the United States of America (USA), Margaret Mensah-Williams held a memorial service on Saturday to honour the legacy of the late President Hage Geingob.

Geingob passed away at the age of 82 in Windhoek last Sunday.

‘He not only shaped Namibia, he shaped Africa,’ Mensah-Williams said during the ceremony held in Washington DC.

She told the mourners that the late Geingob made it his mission to prioritise education throughout his life although he had to leave his country of birth in pursuit of knowledge and instruction that would later help him to challenge and change the system.

The ambassador said he will always be hailed as the chief architect of the Namibian constitution and servant of the Namibian nation who devoted his life to liberating his country.

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, in her remarks, stated that Geingob displayed his unwavering devotion to the people of Africa.

‘He was a true liberation hero who fought for the people of Namibia and Africa at large an
d was a leader of the people,’ Bowser said.

The embassies of the Russian Federation, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Haiti, Tanzania, Angola and The Philippines sent through their tributes to Mensah-Williams.

Zambia’s Ambassador to America, Chibamba Kanyama, stated that President Geingob provided significant leadership to help liberate the continent and help it gain economic independence.

‘That’s why the whole African continent is mourning a great leader,’ Kanyama said.

Zimbabwean Ambassador to America Tadeous Chifamba described President Geingob as a towering figure for the significant role both pre- and post-independence. As a Pan-Africanist he played a key role in the liberation of Namibia, he added.

Geingob fought apartheid in Africa and most of the ambassadors were privileged to rub shoulders with the great leader of Africa, Chifamba said.

Geingob will be laid to rest on 25 February 2024.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency