President Lazarus Chakwera Sunday delivered a message of heartfelt condolences to Namibia First Lady Monica Geingob and the people of Namibia on the death of that country’s president, Hage Geingob.
Namibia is a member of the Southern African Development Community, to which Malawi is member.
Geingob, 82, died at a hospital in Namibia’s capital Windhoek in the early hours of Sunday.
In a statement released Sunday Chakwera said Malawi sends its deepest condolences to the bereaved family and the people of Namibia.
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According to Chakwera, Geingob’s leadership and dedication to Namibia and Africa were admirable throughout the continent.
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“It is our hope and prayer that all Namibians will use this challenging time to reflect on their personal and collective commitment to the development of Namibia and the liberation of the African people as the late President purposed to do throughout his life.
“May his legacy endure. Our thoughts are with you during this difficult time,” Chakwera said.
According to the BBC, Geingob, a veteran of the country’s independence struggle, had been diagnosed with cancer and revealed the details to the public last month.
Announcing his death, Vice President Nangolo Mbumba said Geingob died with his wife and children by his side.
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Namibia “has lost… a distinguished servant of the people”, he said.
The BBC reported that, according to Namibia’s constitution, Mbumba will now act as president as there was less than a year left of Geingob’s second term in office. Presidential and parliamentary elections had already been scheduled for November.
Geingob, a tall man with a deep, gravelly voice and a commanding presence, was a long-serving member of the Swapo party.
It led the movement against apartheid South Africa, which had effectively annexed the country, then known as South West Africa, and introduced its system of legalised racism that excluded black people from political and economic power.
Geingob lived in exile for 27 years, spending time in Botswana, the United States and the United Kingdom, where he studied for a PhD in politics.
He went back to Namibia in 1989, a year before the country gained independence
