Mulisa Simiyasa 

OTJIWARONGO – Otjozondjupa governor John ||Khamuseb has urged the inhabitants of the region to plant more fruit trees and consume locally-produced food as a symbol of honouring the legacy of founding president Sam Nujoma.

||Khamuseb was speaking at a tree-planting event his office organised on Monday at a newly- created orchard at the Monica Geingos Senior Secondary School (SSS) at Otjiwarongo in remembrance of Nujoma’s birthday on 12 May.

The governor said Nujoma’s dream was to see Namibia become food-secure, and this included growing enough fruits to meet countrywide demand.

Based on this, the governor said he had found it necessary to donate and spearhead the initiative to plant 15 fruit tree seedlings at the new orchard, saying it is the beginning of commemorating what Nujoma loved to do the most during his life – planting trees.

“The founding president, who passed away on 8 February 2025, had this passion of planting trees. Therefore, today we are gathered here to remember him through his passion, as we plant these few fruit trees,” said ||Khamuseb.

He said the initiative, which started small on Monday, should become bigger in future and thus called on the school to water the 15 mango, guava and grape trees so that the Monica Geingos SSS also joins Namibia in cultivating Nujoma’s tree-planting wish.

Otjozondjupa education director Gerhard Ndafenongo planted a mango tree, and called on the pupils in the region to honour Nujoma’s memory by planting more trees everywhere in the country.
Monica Geingos SSS principal Peacock Mbakera promised to provide leadership that would ensure the 15 fruit trees live forever.

“We will dedicate classes to each of these newly-planted trees so that this new orchard lives long in honour of Nujoma’s wish of having enough food to eat and trees all over the country,” he said.
He then tasked science teacher Selma Theophilus to delegate pupils who would water and look after the new plants on a daily basis.

– Nampa