Namibian founding president Sam Nujoma is laid to rest and praised as the last African liberator

Namibia’s founding president, Sam Nujoma, who steered the country to freedom from apartheid South Africa, was laid to rest in the country’s Heroes Acre cemetery on Saturday following a state funeral attended by African leaders and foreign dignitaries.

Mourners from all corners of the country began to gather as early as 6 a.m. to pay their final tributes to a man they knew as their “founding father,” an anti-apartheid activist who served three terms as president from 1990 to 2005.

Nujoma died on Feb. 8 at age 95 after spending three weeks at a Windhoek hospital. His widow, Theopoldine Nujoma, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were in attendance.

“He was a pillar of strength and a fountain of wisdom in the family. Although we could not have him around us all the time, we nevertheless understood very well that he embodied and personified the liberation struggle for Namibia’s freedom and independence,” Nujoma’s eldest son, Utoni Nujoma, said at a football stadium filled with mourners.

“Despite the fact that our hearts are engulfed by grief, we therefore celebrate his long and fulfilling life as well as his unwavering spirit when he dedicated his entire life to the liberation of our motherland and the entire African continent,” Utoni added.

Namibia had observed a 21-day mourning period, with flags at half-staff. Nujoma’s body was honored with a nationwide farewell as his remains were flown to seven regions including his village homestead of Etunda, in Okahao, allowing hundreds of thousands of Namibians to pay their respects.

21-gun salute

Nujoma was the last of a generation of African leaders who led their countries out of colonial or white minority rule that included South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, Mozambique’s Samora Machel, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere and Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda.

His casket, draped in the Namibian flag with the title ‘Founding president and Father of the Namibian nation’ on it, was lowered concurrently with a 21-gun salute and a flypast by the Namibian Air Force, into the mausoleum at the Heroes Acre.

The Heroes Acre was constructed as a final resting place for Namibians who made meaningful contributions to the freedom enjoyed by the country today.

Current Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba described Nujoma as an extraordinary human being. Mbumba said Nujoma exhibited the traits of a man driven by purpose and destiny.

“Who else could rise from the humble dwellings of Etunda to lead a nation to independence? Who else could traverse from a dusty village to the hallways of the United Nations? Who else could rise from relative obscurity and end up rubbing shoulders with some of the most iconic leaders of the 20th century? Only an extraordinary human being could achieve such feats,” Mbumba said.

An African icon

Present and former African heads of states attended the memorial service and funeral, including South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki and Cyril Ramaphosa, Congo’s Joseph Kabila, Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa, Botswana’s Ian Khama, Angola’s João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Tanzanian Vice President Philip Mpango and Lesotho’s prime minister, Samuel Matekane.

They described Nujoma as an African icon, and a man of principles who defended the African continent against colonial systems.

After nearly 30 years in exile, Nujoma returned to Namibia to lead the liberation movement SWAPO in the U.N.-supervised elections in November 1989 that subsequently elevated him to the country’s highest office.

During his lifetime, Nujoma was awarded honors and awards for his outstanding leadership, courage and total commitment toward the creation of a nonracial society in Namibia.

He is survived by three siblings, a wife, two sons, 24 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.