President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed his sadness at hearingof  the passing of Namibian President Hage Geingob, saying Namibia has lost an “outstanding leader” particularly during an election year.

Geingob passed away on Sunday, weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer.

Ramaphosa extended his condolences to the Namibian government and citizens, particularly to First Lady Monica Geingos and family.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Geingob family and the people of Namibia who have lost an outstanding leader in a year in which Namibia, like South Africa, is due to hold elections,” Ramaphosa said.

He said Geingob was a towering veteran of Namibia’s liberation from colonialism and apartheid.

“He was also greatly influential in the solidarity that the people of Namibia extended to the people of South Africa so that we could be free today,” Ramaphosa added.

South Africa’s Presiding Officers of Parliament also acknowledged Geingob as a prominent figure in the struggle for liberation and said the loss was not only deeply felt by Namibians but also reverberated throughout the entire Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and the African continent.

“We mourn the passing of an outstanding revolutionary and dedicated Stateman who led with wisdom, integrity, diplomacy, and a deep passion for his people,” said the Presiding Officers.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said that as Namibia’s longest-serving Prime Minister, and third President, Geingob was instrumental in the growth and development of Namibia since its independence in 1990.

Steenhuisen said Geingob had an immense legacy as a freedom fighter and anti-apartheid activist who dedicated his life to the liberation of the Southern African people, often from exile in Botswana and the USA.

“His contribution to Namibia, South Africa, and the Southern African Development Community has been instrumental in fostering closer regional diplomatic ties and trade, helping to secure the prosperity of the citizens of the Southern African region as a whole,” he stated.

ActionSA national spokesperson Lerato Ngobeni noted that with a shared history, her party considered Geingob’s contribution to the liberation of his people as a legacy that remained an inspiration to all countries. 

Ngobeni said Geingob was a “wise and valiant leader”, dedicated to the preservation of democracy and the safety and welfare of his nation.

She explained that the memory of Geingob’s lifetime as a dedicated member of the South West Africa People's Organisation and as a Statesman in the service of democracy and the highest ideals would “remain in the halls of history where great men of his stature and esteem are never to be forgotten”.