PRESIDENT Nangolo Mbumba has extended his condolences to the family and people of Tanzania following the death of former president Ali Hassan Mwinyi.

Mwinyi’s death was announced by Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan, who said he passed away in hospital while being treated for a chest condition on 29 February.

He was 98.

In a press statement issued on Saturday, Mbumba said Namibians will never forget the role Tanzania and president Mwinyi played in advancing Namibia’s cause for freedom.

“I join my sister president Samia Suluhu Hassan and the fraternal people of Tanzania in mourning the passing of former president Ali Hassan Mwinyi,” he stated.

He added that today, Namibia and Tanzania share sound bilateral relations because of the strong historical bonds of friendship between the two nations.

“During this difficult period, Namibians stand with the people of Tanzania,” Mbumba said.

Mwinyi succeeded Tanzania’s first president, Julius K Nyerere, and served as president from 1985 until 1995.

The national burial ceremony took place on Saturday on Zanzibar’s Unguja Island.

Hassan told mourners: “Mr Mwinyi was a wonderful leader, who highlighted the importance of translating leadership into service to people, and maintaining diligent and ethical services”.

The burial ceremony was also attended by officials, including Tanzania’s Zanzibar president Hussein Ali Mwinyi, the late president’s son, and representatives from Namibia, the Comoros and the East African Community (EAC) secretariat.- Nampa