Matheus Hamutenya
Bethanie-A selfless leader and hero in the eyes of many, hundreds of people gathered at Bethanie to bid their final farewell to the late Chief Dawid Frederick, who was buried at the village on Saturday.
Frederick was chief of the !Aman Traditional Authority of Bethanie, and died on January 12, and scores of people came from various corners of the country and beyond Namibia’s borders to pay their last respects to their leader, father and friend.
Speaker after speaker lauded the late chief as a great leader and unifier who had the interest of his people at heart.
Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani said the passing of the chief is a great loss as the party and country have lost a gallant son who was committed to the cause of the country until his death.
Speaking at the ceremony at the Bethanie stadium, Venaani said that Chief Frederick was not afraid to stand up for his people, and that he was passionate about developmental agendas and the betterment of his people, being especially committed to the fight for reparations for the 1904-08 genocide.
“Chief Frederick was a pioneer, a fighter for just reparations, and consistently stayed the cause as he never blinked in seeking just and fair compensation for victims of the 1904-08 genocide,” he said.
He added that Frederick loved everyone that came into his path, and served humanity well, adding that many have been molded by him into who they are today as they have taken some spark from his divine fire and thus he will live in the hearts of thousands of people.
President Hage Geingob also had high praise for the late Chief Frederick, saying his passing has left a huge void in the Namibian society, and it is a great loss not only for the family and the !Aman people, but to all those who shared the desire for a prosperous and free Namibian house.
“I have known Chief Frederick as a unifier and humble servant who upheld the principles of unity and nation-building, and doing so with grace and without complaints,” he said in a message delivered on his behalf by education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa.
Geingob urged mourners to celebrate the late chief’s life, take lessons from it and continue to stand for what he stood for.
“Let us emulate his spirit of peace and unity and let us live together peacefully as we continue to build the Namibian house. Our chief dedicated his life to our national efforts to build a prosperous Namibia where no Namibian should feel left out,” he said.
The late Chief Frederick is survived by 17 children and his
wife