Swapo stalwart Ben Amathila fought back tears as he poignantly recalled his last visit to late Founding President Sam Nujoma, shortly before his passing. 

He shared a deeply personal moment, revealing how he left the room with a heavy heart, sensing that it was only a matter of time before Nujoma would depart. 

“I looked at him, and compared him to the Nujoma that I used to know; the agile, hardworking Nujoma. I saw my leader lying still,” he recounted the moment. 

Nujoma died on Saturday in a Windhoek hospital. He was 95. 

Amathila, himself a former freedom fighter, was speaking at the first memorial service for Nujoma on Wednesday. 

“This was a man that each one of us saw from different angles; a man who was so brave to face those who thought they were powerful, and to tell them all nonsense. A man who criss-crossed the globe, trying to convince the world that there was a country called Namibia. 

A man who taught the world that Namibia needed their right to self-determination restored to them, and here he was lying on the hospital bed, and I thought it was just a matter of time before we part,” he noted. 

Nujoma and Amathila, both key figures in the country’s liberation struggle, met in the 1960s and forged a close and enduring bond, both personally and politically, stretching over many years. 

Amathila, who was also part of the Constituent Assembly, served in Nujoma’s first Cabinet as the minister of trade and industry. 

In 1993, Amathila was moved to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and served as minister until 2000 when Nujoma dismissed him from his Cabinet post. 

He retained his seat in the National Assembly until his resignation in 2007. 

Over the past few days since Nujoma’s death, tributes from all over the world have been pouring in. 

One thing which stands out in these tributes is how much of a visionary Nujoma was, and how relentless he was in fighting for the liberation of his country. 

MP tributes 

On Wednesday, members of the National Assembly dedicated the parliamentary session to paying tributes to the late Nujoma. Amongst the members who paid their respects was agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein. 

“Sam Nujoma’s nuance on my life became life-changing from the early Eighties, and is still lasting. I was privileged to be appointed as the first permanent secretary (PS) for the then-Ministry of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development. 

Thereafter, I was appointed as the PS and accounting officer of the newly-created Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. I returned again to Agriculture as a PS, thereafter to the Ministry of Youth and Sport,” he said. 

The minister said whether as party president or as president of Namibia, he got to appreciate Nujoma as a determined and steadfast person, who trusted him. 

“He was a man who could read the mood of his audience, and steer any gathering in the direction he thought was correct. By the way, he had the best convincing smile,” Schlettwein remembered. 

Deputy Prime Minister John Mutorwa also paid tribute, saying Nujoma left his exemplary character and good deeds. 

“His personality, hard work, honesty and discipline, decisiveness (are remembered) as we continue with the task of building and developing our country,” he added.