Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK – A memorial service for the former president of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), Derek Wright, will be held this Friday at 14:30 for 15:00 in the NG Kerk, Moedergemeente, Windhoek.
Wright recently died from a heart attack while on a cruise in the Baltic Sea. Wright resigned as president of the NAU at the end of 2015 and cared for his wife Leoni who died the last year.
Wright is remembered for his passionate and sometimes fierce campaigning when it comes to the rights of farmers. He was instrumental in bilateral discussions on the highest level to find a lasting solution for the situation that arose in 2013 when South Africa introduced new animal health requirements for exports from Namibia, which virtually closed South Africa to the Namibian multi-billion weaner export market. Always one to recognise the vital role of communal farmers, Wright was the first to compliment farmers from north of the veterinary cordon fence (VCF) for their immediate and swift action during the last outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in several northern communal areas (NCAs). Wright is also remembered most for his personal inputs to avoid farmers paying extravagant taxes and his concern for the security of farmers, especially in remote areas. “Namibian farmers must be the best in the world if you take into consideration all the elements they have to battle on a daily basis, living in the driest country south of the Sahara,” was one of his favourite sayings.
Wright was born on September 27, 1943, in South Africa and is survived by his only son.