Sam Nujoma, the revolutionary figure who led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990 and served as the nation’s first president for 15 years, has passed away at the age of 95.
Recognized as Namibia’s “founding father,” Nujoma died on Saturday night after a three-week hospitalization in Windhoek, as reported by the Namibian presidency.
“The foundations of the Republic of Namibia have been shaken,” the presidency stated in a Facebook announcement regarding his death. It also declared a period of “national mourning.”
Nujoma was celebrated in Namibia as a charismatic leader who guided the country toward democracy and stability following a long history of colonial rule by Germany and a protracted struggle for independence from South Africa.
He was among the last of a generation of African leaders who liberated their nations from colonial or minority rule, joining the ranks of notable figures such as Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, and Samora Machel of Mozambique.
Nujoma led the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), which initiated the liberation movement in 1960.
Although SWAPO has remained in power since independence, Nujoma stepped down in 2007 at the age of 78, two years after resigning from the presidency.
Numerous Namibians attribute the process of national healing and reconciliation following the significant divisions created by the independence war and South Africa’s policies of ethnic regional governance to Nujoma’s leadership.
Even those who opposed him acknowledged Nujoma—often labeled a Marxist—for his role in crafting a democratic constitution and for including white business leaders and politicians in the post-independence government. He was also recognized for his strong anti-Western statements and his condemnation of homosexuality, which he described as a “foreign and corrupt ideology,” and referred to AIDS as “a man-made biological weapon.”
Despite his achievements in establishing democratic frameworks and advancing reconciliation, his authoritarian inclinations have been noted as a blemish on his legacy, according to Ndumba Kamwanyah, a political analyst and lecturer at the University of Namibia.
“Kuwoma’s presidency laid the groundwork for Namibia’s independence and governance, yet it was not without its shortcomings,” Kamwanyah remarked.
‘Maximum leadership’
Nujoma was born in 1929 to impoverished farmers from the Ovambo tribe in a small village in northwestern Namibia. He attributed the development of his political awareness to his teenage years when he relocated to the coastal town of Walvis Bay.
At the age of 17, he moved in with an aunt in a Black township, where he was exposed to adult discussions regarding the struggles of Black individuals under white-minority governance.
As the eldest of ten siblings, Nujoma’s first employment was as a railway sweeper near Windhoek in 1949, while he attended night classes, as detailed in his autobiography published in 2001. It was during this time that he met Herero tribal chief Hosea Kutako, who was advocating for the end of apartheid in Namibia, then referred to as South West Africa.
Kutako served as a mentor to the young Nujoma, guiding him as he became politically engaged with Black workers in Windhoek who were opposing a government directive to relocate to a new township in the late 1950s.
At Kutako’s urging, Nujoma embarked on a life of exile in 1960, initially moving to Botswana and leaving behind his wife and four children. That same year, he was elected as the president of SWAPO, subsequently traveling between various capitals to garner support and initiating a low-level armed struggle in 1966.
It took over ten years of advocacy from Nujoma and his allies before the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution in 1978 calling for a ceasefire and elections. Another decade elapsed before the ceasefire agreement was finalized and elections were conducted in late 1989.
SWAPO emerged victorious in those elections, and Nujoma assumed the presidency in March 1990.
Upon retiring from the presidency, he pursued a master’s degree in geology, convinced that Namibia’s mountains held significant untapped mineral resources.
“The leadership Nujoma provided was unparalleled, and he dedicated himself to inspiring every Namibian to contribute to a nation that would be respected and admired globally,” stated the presidency.
