Namibia’s Founding President Dr Sam Nujoma has labelled the late Tanzanian Brigadier-General Hashim Mbita as an excellent freedom fighter who played a significant role in the attainment of African countries’ independence.
According to media reports from Tanzania, Brigadier-General Mbita, 74, who once served as secretary of the Liberation Committee of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the forerunner to the African Union (AU), died on Sunday at Lugalo Military Hospital in Kinondoni Municipality in Dar es Salaam.
The army general died after a long illness.
The East African nation’s State House in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam confirmed in a statement that Mbita died in hospital, Xinhua reported.
Speaking from Okahao yesterday, Nujoma said he had learnt with great shock and dismay of the “death of our brother Mbita”.
“This is a great loss for all the people of Africa, and for Tanzania,” Nujoma told New Era, and he further hailed Mbita as a “symbol of freedom from colonialism and occupation”.
The founding father said Mbita made a “sterling” contribution to the struggle for liberation and made sacrifices to ensure the attainment of freedom and democracy in Africa.
Nujoma further described Mbita as the “most courageous and important of those who supported us”.
“My condolences go to the family, the president of Tanzania and all Tanzanians,” stated Nujoma who personally got to know Mbita during Namibia’s independence struggle.
Nujoma said Namibian fighters during the freedom struggle sought refuge in Tanzania, and as a country Tanzania made financial contributions and other sort of assistance to the struggle as well.
“Tanzania played a central role in the emancipation of African states from colonialism,” said Nujoma.
“We in Namibia remain cognisant and most grateful for the pivotal role Tanzania and its people played in our emancipation from the yoke of apartheid colonialism,” said Nujoma.