WINDHOEK – Godfrey /Khaesen Gaoseb, who served as the economic advisor to President Hifikepunye Pohamba, has died after he accidentally fell from the stairs in his house last week Wednesday. According to the his wife, Charity, the 72-year-old Gaoseb tripped on the stairs in their Windhoek home and lost consciousness. He succumbed to his injuries two weeks later.
“He fell from the stairs in the house and then he was rushed to Katutura State Hospital. When he left the house he was not talking and he went into a coma until his death last Wednesday morning,” she told New Era yesterday. Gaoseb retired from the public service in 2012.
During his tenure in the public service Gaoseb was instrumental in the establishment of a multitude of state-owned enterprises such as the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF), Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa), and the National Special Risks Insurance Association (NASRIA), amongst others.
Gaoseb was born on the 17th of September 1941 in Otjiwarongo to parents, Lise Gaoses and Kraai Hoeseb. He attended the Mine Plus Primary School in Tsumeb. Gaoseb departed for Okahandja to further his education at Augustineum High School where he attended classes with prominent Namibian leaders like Dr Hage Geingob, the late Dr Mose Tjitendero and Joseph Ithana, and Hidipo Hamutenya, to mention but a few.
After high school Gaoseb worked at Levi’s Construction in Tsumeb as a paymaster clerk. He went into exile in 1962 as a member of the South West Africa National Union (Swanu) to join the national liberation struggle and further his education in exile. He travelled through Botswana and the former Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to Dar es Salaam in Tanganyika (now Tanzania).
From Dar es Salaam he travelled to Accra, Ghana in 1964 to complete his secondary education at the Accra Academy. During his stay in Ghana he was invited by Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the president of the Republic of Ghana for consultations about the role of the youth in the liberation of Southern Africa.
In 1966, Gaoseb proceeded to Sweden to pursue studies in economics at Stockholm University. He obtained a BA and MA in Economics, Banking and Finance. He later worked at the Swedish Ministry of Finance.
During 1981 he returned to Africa and started work at the United Nations Institute for Namibia in Lusaka, Zambia as a financial officer. He joined Swapo in 1982.
Gaoseb married his wife, Charity Mulopei Mungana Gaoses in 1983 in Lusaka, Zambia.
Gaoseb returned to Namibia in 1989 during the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 435. He became the first permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance after independence. Gaoseb served in that position until 1996 when he left Namibia to represent his country as executive director at the World Bank. He returned to Namibia in 2000 to serve as economic advisor to President Pohamba. Gaoseb retired from the public service in 2012.
His memorial service will be held at Windhoek City Congregation Lutheran Church on Friday, March 28 at 18:00 for 18:30. He will then be laid to rest on Saturday in the Pioneers Park Cemetery. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, grandchildren, sole surviving sister, and nieces.
By Albertina Nakale