President Hage Geingob has said despite the hardships that former Katutura Central councillor Ambrosius Kandjii faced in his later years, he had high hopes he would return to serve the Namibian people.
Geingob said this during the late politician’s burial at Otjomukona village in the Aminuis constituency on Saturday.
Describing him as a jack-of-all-trades, Geingob said it is clear that the void left by Kandjii’s passing will not only be felt by the family, but also by the Katutura Central constituency where he provided leadership through the ruling party, Swapo.
“As controversial as he was, Kandjii was in words and in deeds committed to the ideals of a united Namibian House. There is no doubt that he has made in his own way tangible efforts to a stronger Namibian House, of which many have already been told over the past week since his untimely death,” he said in a speech read on his behalf by Omaheke governor Pijoo Nganate.
“It is across the spectrum of all these that I have known him, coming to my house at times uninvited and often with a delegation. It is one thing to come alone uninvited and another to pitch up with a delegation. As a committed comrade and a strong supporter of Swapo’s political journey and my own, he was always welcome in my house.”
Kandjii died a fortnight ago after a short illness.
He was 49.
Geingob said he cannot deny that Kandjii courted controversy on multiple occasions, and he has made political statements that contradict what he believed in.
“He would be in the news headlines for all the wrong reasons. But I always found it in me to forgive him because his kind heart always remained bigger than his mistakes,” Geingob said.
The late Kandjii served as councillor of the constituency for 10 years and stepped down in 2020.
He was interred in a grave next to his parents, Wilhelm and Menesia Kandjii.