Since the early hours of Saturday, all roads in Windhoek seemed to lead to the Pioneer’s Park cemetery.
It was here that the body of the late Rosemary Jane Katjavivi, the wife of the Speaker of the National Assembly Peter Katjavivi, was laid to rest.
And they all came. Politicians and commoners. Many had remembered her as an “amazing woman and dear friend”, while others remembered her as a staunch anti-apartheid activist, who fought shoulder-to-shoulder alongside Namibians.
Described as an English Rose, whose aroma will forever engulf Namibia, Katjavivi died a fortnight ago while on a flight to Windhoek in the presence of her husband.
“Rosemary Jane, my warm, beautiful, sweet, dearest wife and life companion. I will cherish you forever. Every wind that blows around our home, in our house, and over my face, will always signal to me and to your children and grandchildren that you are the never-fading candle in that wind, and that you will forever remain around our family,” said Peter Katjavivi.
He described her as a good-hearted person, who truly loved helping others.
Among other commitments, Peter said Jane led an active life that involved serving institutions like
the University of Namibia (Unam), where she set up the Unam Press, the FNB Foundation, Cheetah Foundation and other voluntary institutions.
He said Jane was also a lay minister in the Anglican Church.
“Indeed, she led a life of passion, determination, selflessness and faith. She was faithful to God and to her family. Therefore, as we mourn Jane’s passing, we are also remembering and appreciating her wonderful contribution to our lives,” he noted.
“She has been a pillar in our home, particularly keen to see our children grow into responsible citizens. To me, she was everything, with her gentle smile, and whenever she was not happy, I needed not to ask because I could tell from her face,” he added.
President Hage Geingob described Jane’s passing as a majestic branch that has fallen from “our family tree”.
“The shock still resonates in our hearts. The nasty sting of death has once more left its painful mark on our lives,” Geingob said during a memorial.
He said “Madame Jane” was the very example of a person of suitable temperament, complete understanding and love, alongside her husband, “comrade professor Katjavivi”.
“She was a best friend through thick and thin; someone who exuded a sense of calm, empathy and respect. She was kind, smart, loving and compassionate; all the characteristics of a great wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend,” he reminisced.
In many ways, Geingob said her life story mirrors the story of Namibia.
“It is a story of joy and pain, success and struggle, laughter and tears. Indeed, she perfectly captured her journey through the many roads and paths of life in her memoir titled Undisciplined Heart, one of many literary gems that she has left behind for us – artifacts of her legacy,” he said.
“Although she hailed from Leeds in England, there is no doubt that Madame Katjavivi was very much a Namibian at heart. Of course it helps that she fell in love and married one of our distinguished sons, and I am sure he had a lot to do with her love for the Land of the Brave,” Geingob added.
The Katjavivis met in London in the 1970s during the time when Peter was heading the Swapo office responsible for the UK and Western Europe. They got married in 1981 in Oxford at the time when Katjavivi was studying at Oxford University. They returned to Namibia in 1989.
They have two children, Perivi and Isabel.