By Surihe Gaomas WINDHOEK Affectionately known as “Ba-Richard”, or simply Richard, the late Richard Kapelwa Kabajani was known to be a dedicated family man during his lifetime. Close friends and relatives described him as not only the “leader of the family” but he also “served his own family with distinction”. Having spent over 25 years in exile during the liberation struggle, it is no wonder that this son of the soil was known to be close to his family and loved sharing quality time with them. Prior to his death that evening on the 17th of this month at his home village in the Caprivi Region, the retired politician spent his time chatting with loved ones. Reading the tribute on behalf of Mrs Claudia Liseli Kabajani during the memorial service on Friday, former parliamentarian, Patricia Siska, said Mrs Kabajani had never thought of the day she would lose her husband during the blissful 18 years of their marriage. “He was not only a husband, but a special friend to me. He did most of the talking and also told us about the good stories in exile, which were enjoyable and educational stories,” the widow stated in the message read on her behalf. She added that her late husband used to sing freedom songs, which she cherished so much. She went on to say in a short but touching tribute that her late husband was a keen viewer of the Nigerian movie channel, which he loved to watch with his family. Although having retired from politics towards the end of 2004 and having spent most of his life fighting for the liberation of this country under the ruling party, the Swapo veteran was also keenly interested in the forthcoming Swapo Congress expected later this year. “He recently spoke about the Swapo Congress and was looking forward to it,” added Claudia Kabajani. Besides being her intimate friend, the late Kabajani was a wealth of information and knowledge – a “family library”. She mentioned the African adage that when an old man dies, a whole library is lost. “I stand here with a broken heart as our family library has been closed.” After spending almost the whole day together with his family sharing laughter and jokes, the 64-year-old retired politician collapsed at his residence in Katima Mulilo that Thursday evening and died shortly after arrival at the hospital. “It was just after the 20h00 news that he went to the bathroom and suddenly I heard a loud sound from there. He had dropped down. I saw my husband lying helpless on the floor. I called his brother and we rushed him to the hospital but, unfortunately, it was too late – he was declared dead,” she concluded. Other tributes from his blood brother Kamwi portrayed that the late Kabajani was not only the nation’s ambassador and national hero, but also a “family ambassador” who, at the same time, fought for the total liberation of Namibia. “He left this country (exile),” said Kamwi Kabajani, speaking on behalf of the family at the State funeral on Saturday, “when I was just eight years old, and he came back in 1989 (shortly before independence) when I was 33 years old. The man whom we laid to rest today spent most of his days in the struggle for liberation in exile.” However, the rich celebration of Kabajani’s life story is not completely lost with his passing. As one of the directors of ceremony during the services, MP and Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said, “Kabajani’s national library may be closed, but not all is lost.” She reassured that in November last year a team from the Swapo Party Archives and Research Committee travelled to Katima Mulilo and spent some days interviewing Kabajani on his life and history in exile. “Such documentation is important for the current and future generations to know the history and to know what happened during the liberation struggle in Namibia,” said Nandi-Ndaitwah. At the burial, the deceased’s mother, Ba na Ntwala, who is in her 90s, was heartbroken at the loss of her third-born son. “My son, you have left me,” she said in Lozi, as the casket was lowered to the sounds of the 21-gun salute in the background. Wreathes upon wreathes were laid at the graveside as the nation bade farewell to this national hero. MP Hage Geingob presented the eulogy of the late Kabajani at the memorial service in Parliament Gardens on Friday. Richard Kapelwa Kabajani was born on February 15, 1943 in a small village called Ivilivinzi situated 170ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ km east of Katima Mulilo in the area of Kabulabula. He was the third-born in a family of nine brothers and sisters. Having gone to school in the Caprivi Region during the time of apartheid, he entered politics at a very young age and gallantly pursued the vision of one day seeing his own country free from colonialism. He was part of one of the first groups from Caprivi to leave for exile, which he did in 1964 through Zambia to Tanzania where he lived for a long time. Kabjani returned to Namibia some 20 years later, in 1989. Kabajani was also part of the Swapo Party Consultative Conference, which was held at Tanga in Tanzania over the Christmas and New Year holidays of 1969-1970. In 1983, Peter Mweshihange became Swapo’s Acting Secretary for Defence following the death of Peter Nanyemba in April of that year, and Kabajani became his deputy. The latter also received military training in Russia and was later appointed to the Office of the Swapo Party President until his return to Namibia in 1989. Kabajani was appointed the director of elections in the Caprivi Region and was also a member of the Constituent Assembly and subsequently a member of the first National Assembly. Former President, Dr Sam Nujoma, appointed him the first Minister of Transport and Communication, later as the Minister of Lands and Resettlement, and finally Minister of Youth and Sport. Kabajani later became Namibia’s ambassador to Cuba before he retired from active politics in 2004. A former Cabinet Minister, Kabajani stayed in the Caprivi Region for the last three years of is life, where he was political adviser to the party. During the Heroes Day commemoration last year in Katima Mulilo, he was awarded a medal for bravery by President Hifikepunye Pohamba. Kabajani is survived by his mother, wife, five children and five siblings. When he arrived from exile in 1989, his parents and all his brothers and sisters were still alive. However, his father died in 1993, and over the years he lost six of his siblings.