Khomas governor downplays plagiarism storm

Khomas governor Laura McLeod-Katjirua says there was nothing untoward about using the words of former United States of America president Barack Obama during a speech at a memorial service over the weekend.McLeod-Katjirua came under scathing criticism over the past few days after she used Obama’s words – spoken in South Africa in 2013 during the funeral of struggle icon Nelson Mandela – in a tribute to late president Hage Geingob.Repeating Obama’s speech, McLeod-Katjirua said: “He was not a bust made of marble; he was a man of flesh and blood - a son and a husband, a father and a friend - and that’s why we learnt so much from him, and that’s why we can learn from him still”.Speaking to Namibian Sun yesterday, Katjirua said she simply quoted Obama’s earlier speech.“I just quoted; that was a quote,” she said briefly.Reflecting on Geingob’s life, McLeod-Katjirua described the late president as an extraordinary human being.“You will live forever in our hearts and minds. When you became ill, we were gripped with pain and anxiety; we did not want to confront the reality of your mortality.“What truly stands out is the display of admiration by the thousands of Namibians who descended on the great Khomas Region. You were an extraordinary human,” she said.Geingob was buried at Heroes’ Acre in a mausoleum on Sunday. He is the first person to be buried in that manner at the historical graveyard.

Khomas governor downplays plagiarism storm

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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Khomas governor downplays plagiarism storm

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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