Namibia’s Founding President, Sam Nujoma, has been hailed as an exemplary leader who championed the rights of his people, and his legacy as one of the founding fathers of Pan-Africanism will endure forever.

This was said by Angolan president and chairperson of the African Union, Joao Lourenco, who was among the foreign dignitaries who attended Nujoma’s memorial service at the Independence Stadium in Windhoek on Friday to pay their respects before his burial on Saturday.

He described Nujoma “as an outstanding figure of African contemporary history, a hero of the Namibian people and symbol of the unbreakable fight for the liberation of southern Africa”.

Lourenco also paid tribute to other Namibians along with their Angolan counterparts, who united to fight against the former South African colonial apartheid regime, leading to Namibia’s independence.

“In this bereaving environment, it’s also a moment to reflect. It’s worth recalling that long lasting peace in Angola would not have been possible if we had not been able to defeat the apartheid regime, which has also led to the decolonisation of Namibia and the achievement of its independence,” said the Angolan leader.

In his message to the Nujoma family and the Namibian people, Lourenco remarked that the founding president’s legacy “will be written forever in annals of history and shall be eternalised as a beacon for the future generation of Namibia and the African continent”.

-Nampa