ONGWEDIVA – President Hage Geingob has honoured the first governor of Oshana region and struggle stalwart Silvanus Vatuva with an official funeral.
Vatuva who was also the first commissioner of the northern region will be buried at Omungwelume this Saturday.
The burial will be preceded by a memorial service on Friday at his Omhalaxwaxwa residence at Omungwelume.
Vatuva (87) died on 1 September in the Ongwediva Medipark.
He served as commissioner for the northern regions between 1991 and 1992.
He was further appointed as the first chairperson and governor of Oshana in 1993, a position he held until 1998.
He continued to serve as a councillor for Oshakati East constituency until his retirement from active politics in 2004.
In his condolence message earlier this month, President Geingob described Vatuva as a trailblazer and dedicated public servant who played a crucial role in assisting government dismantle the apartheid Bantustans and setting up administrative structures in Oshana.
“His contribution in shaping the growth trajectory of the Oshana region to what it is today are indeed significant,” Geingob said at the time.
Despite his role in active politics, Vatuva was a family and a community role model who dedicated his life to improve the life of others.
His daughter Paulina Vatuva-Uugwanga in an earlier interview said the community particularly in the north will remember their late father for the schools and churches he built across the north.
This include the Omungwelume school, the Ongenga church and the recent construction of the Omungwelume church.
At home, Vatuva-Uugwanga said their father always put his children and wife first despite his busy schedule.
nashipala@nepc.com.na