Alvenus F Dreyer

He was a great statesman, a distinguished gentleman, a charismatic leader who led with courage and example. 

For sure there will never be another Hage Gottfried Geingob and for sure there will never be another president Geingob for Namibia. 

From beyond the borders, the oceans and in particular from within the motherland, condolences in unprecedented numbers poured out for the late president since the news about his untimely death broke. 

Like many others, I never knew president Hage Geingob
on a personal level but upon hearing about his passing on 4 February 2024 (Sunday morning) my eyes were filled with tears. 

The feeling the instant I heard the news on radio was that of losing someone very close. 

The entire nation was caught in disbelieve but as time went by the reality of the president being no more eventually started to sink in with God’s grace.

Spirit and legacy 

One thing that stood out about the late president was his readiness and determination to serve the Namibian nation. These are observations some of us are having dating back to the early 1990s. 

I remember the departed president during his term as Prime Minister as the first for Namibia officially mentioning in his own words, “Namibia has a very small population of only 1.8 million people with abundant natural resources, so we can improve the lives of our people quiet significantly”. 

Two decades after that very democratic and truthful statement, the man becomes president and starts championing the social and economic course of the Namibian nation. 

He is on good record from many angles that he was a people’s president who was for the welfare of his fellow human-race, irrespective of colour, race and or ethnicity. 

I will forever thank president Geingob for the three initiatives he took during his tenure as head of State namely, increasing the monthly grant for old age pensioners, hosting Namibia’s second land conference which was long overdue and establishing the former president’s advisory council. 

One can only pray and work, believing that the “legacy and spirit” of the late comrade president will continue to manifest itself in our everyday social, economic and political struggles.

Accountability + Transparency = Trust

If rating agencies could rate the most transparent African leader/president of the 21st century, I bet president Geingob’s name would be amongst the top three. 

He for sure was no saint but his actions in promoting transparency and accountability are there for us all to witness. His appointment of various individuals at State institutions, foreign missions, different ministries, economic advisors etc. including his “open door policy” speaks volumes about the late democrat. 

Again, during his tenure as independent Namibia’s first Prime Minister, he delegated 100 men and women from all 13 political regions to receive special training in Zambia as parapolice officials just after the country’s independence. 

Whenever the president touched on the importance of accountability and transparency in order for trust to exist, one always sensed the patriotic role all Namibian’s must play in fighting corruption.

Preserving democracy

By now it should have rung a bell, our late beloved head of State’s passing coincided with the anniversary of the agreement of Namibia’s Constitution. 

A living document for which the late president was the chief-architect, a universally acclaimed national document which guarantees democracy and fundamental human freedoms.  

The late president did his part, many people testified ever since the passing of the president that he planted the seed and nurtured it and it’s there for us all to see. 

However, the president at quite a few occasions also warned that democracy and all other freedoms cannot be eaten especially by the majority of the country’s previously disadvantaged Namibians. 

Hence the need for administrators of our country’s natural wealth and all
other role-players to improve
 the social and economic plight
 of the citizens of this great republic.   

* Alvenus F Dreyer is a social and economic justice activist born and bred in Namibia.