MARIENTAL – At the age of 19 in 1992, Andoline Luipert started working as Sam Nujoma’s personal waitress at State House and accompanied him on trips to various countries. 

With his support a few years later, she was able to receive a Commonwealth bursary to study Tourism and Hospitality in Cyprus, a small island located between Turkey and Greece. 

Today, thanks to that opportunity, she has built a successful career. 

She currently serves as a vocational instructor in Tourism and Hospitality at Kai||Ganaxab Youth Skills Training Centre outside Mariental. 

In an interview with Nampa, Luipert said Nujoma helped lay a path for her into ther future. 

“At the State House, he was more like a father figure. We worked for him, but he made us feel at home. He moulded me into the person I am today. If it was not for his guidance and help, I might not have been where I am today,” he stated. 

Luipert ended up working for Nujoma after one day – while making tea for her mother and uncle, the late former deputy prime minister Hendrik Witbooi – she overheard that Nujoma was looking for a personal waitress. 

She immediately applied for the job. 

Working in the State House was an unforgettable experience. 

“The experience was something else. Nujoma was a very talkative man, who loved laughing and interacting with everyone, but was strict with time. He was very health conscious. He woke up early every morning to jog around the old State House,” she recalled. 

Luipert fondly remembered how he used to call her ‘Kadona’ and how he would always interact with his staff and point out the wild animals to them while travelling. 

Back from her studies in Cyprus in 1997, Luipert and her colleague were summoned to State House by Nujoma to welcome them back. 

They continued working there. 

After three months, she applied for an employment opportunity through the Ministry of Youth and Sports to work at Kai||Ganaxab, and was accepted. 

In 1998, she moved to Mariental. 

She has been working at the centre to this day. 

Luipert shared with Nampa that the last time she saw Nujoma face-to-face was in 2009 at Witbooi’s funeral. 

One of the waitresses noticed her, and informed Nujoma that Kadona was among the people at the funeral. Nujoma summoned her to the tent where he was sitting. 

“He asked me how I was doing. He said I should continue teaching people in the south, a promise I made to him. To this day, I still uphold that promise,” stated Luipert. 

Namibia laid their founding father to rest on Saturday. 

Nujoma was 95 years old when he died on 8 February 2025 in Windhoek. 

Luipert said if she had the opportunity to say something to Nujoma for the very last time, it would be “Thank you for everything, Tatekulu. You are loved”. -Nampa