Namibia’s President Hage Geingob has passed away after losing a battle to cancer at the age of 82, as confirmed by his office. The news comes less than three weeks after it was revealed that he would undergo treatment for cancer.
The presidential office conveyed the sad news through a statement on social media, attributed to Vice President Nangolo Mbumba, who is now assuming the role of acting president. President Geingob, who assumed office in 2015, breathed his last at a Windhoek hospital just after midnight.
“The Namibian nation has lost a distinguished servant of the people, a liberation struggle icon, the chief architect of our constitution, and the pillar of the Namibian house,” expressed Vice President Mbumba.
Born on August 3, 1941, in Otjiwarongo, in what was then South-West Africa, Hage Geingob played a significant role in the struggle for Namibian independence. He served as Namibia’s first prime minister from 1990 until 2002, the year the country gained independence. He later returned to the position in 2012 before being elected president in 2015.
Geingob spent his early adulthood in exile, first in Botswana and later in the United States, where he became a leader in the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO).
He pursued higher education in the U.S., studying at Fordham University in New York City and obtaining a master’s degree in international relations at The New School.
After Namibia gained independence, President Geingob played a crucial role in guiding the nation through the post-apartheid era. Notably, he chaired the Constituent Assembly and oversaw the drafting of Namibia’s new Constitution.
As the nation mourns, Vice President Mbumba appealed for calm, assuring that the government would handle necessary state arrangements, preparations, and other protocols. Further announcements regarding this sad development are expected.
