Namibia mourns the loss of President Hage Geingob, who passed away at the age of 82 at the Lady Pohamba Hospital in Windhoek, the nation’s capital.
The news was confirmed in a statement by Nangolo Mbumba, the acting president of Namibia.
Geingob’s death comes after a battle with cancer, a diagnosis he disclosed to the public in January.
“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,” Mbumba expressed in the statement.
“At this moment of deepest sorrow, I appeal to the nation to remain calm and collected while the Government attends to all necessary state arrangements, preparations and other protocols.”
Geingob, a teacher by profession, held various leadership positions throughout his illustrious career. He served as Namibia’s first prime minister from 1990 to 2002 and again from 2012 to 2015.
In 2015, he ascended to the presidency and was re-elected in 2019 for a second and final term of five years.
