'This might be my last visit' - Nujoma
A year before his passing, the late founding president Sam Nujoma visited the Ukwangali Royal Palace, where he gently told Ukwangali leader Hompa Eugene Siwombe Kudumo that it might be his last visit.
“The last visit was different. It was subdued as he told me, ‘For us who are old, this might be the last time I am visiting. Please continue to unite your subjects and follow the footsteps of the late Hompa Sitentu Mpasi, a freedom fighter and a sterling traditional leader,'” Kudumo quote Nujoma saying at the time.
Kudumo shared this memory of their final encounter during Nujoma’s visit to the Mbara (Royal Palace) last year in a letter of condolence addressed to Nujoma’s widow, Kovambo Nujoma, his children, and the entire bereaved family on Monday.
Together in the struggle
He said the Ukwangali Traditional Authority received the news of Nujoma’s passing with deep sorrow, and recalled the long fight for independence alongside Nujoma.
“The Ukwangali was a bloody battlefield during the liberation struggle led by President Sam Nujoma as commander-in-chief of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN). Many lives of men, women and children were lost. Many limbs were lost. Many were detained for long periods in solitary confinement without trial," he wrote.
"Our PLAN fighters found moral and material support in Ukwangali more than in any other part of this region. School classes, church services and community meetings were disrupted, and the people endured night and day house raids, arrogant interrogations and inhumane physical torture by the racist South African security forces,” Kudumo recounted.
He further highlighted that the Ukwangali Palace was besieged and set alight several times during the struggle, yet their resolve for independence never wavered.
“Thank you, our Ependa Sam Nujoma, for bringing us independence on 21 March 1990. Today, we can move freely in Ukwangali and throughout Namibia,” he said.
Thank you
He also addressed Nujoma's family directly: “To the widow, children, and the entire bereaved family: We express our gratitude for sharing him with us, especially with the traditional leaders, elders, youth, and vulnerable members of our society. As traditional leaders from Kavango West, we bid farewell to our revolutionary leader and former president, invoking the name of God, the creator of heaven and earth. Go well, Dr Nujoma; you have selflessly embodied all that is good, noble, and honourable for our nation,” he said.
Just last week, Omukwaniilwa Fillemon Shuumbwa Nangolo of the Ondonga Traditional Authority credited Nujoma for the establishment and government recognition of traditional authorities.
Speaking to Namibian Sun at the Royal Palace in Onambango, Nangolo said Nujoma displayed a “genuine love for his people in Namibia and the entire African continent, adding that under Nujoma’s leadership, traditional leaders were supported and included in governance structures through the establishment of the Council of Traditional Leaders.
Yesterday, a procession and memorial service was held in Walvis Bay and will be followed by another in Keetmanshoop today. Tomorrow, Nujoma’s remains will return to Windhoek, where a procession will move through Independence Avenue, with a stop slated at the Swapo headquarters.
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“The last visit was different. It was subdued as he told me, ‘For us who are old, this might be the last time I am visiting. Please continue to unite your subjects and follow the footsteps of the late Hompa Sitentu Mpasi, a freedom fighter and a sterling traditional leader,'” Kudumo quote Nujoma saying at the time.
Kudumo shared this memory of their final encounter during Nujoma’s visit to the Mbara (Royal Palace) last year in a letter of condolence addressed to Nujoma’s widow, Kovambo Nujoma, his children, and the entire bereaved family on Monday.
Together in the struggle
He said the Ukwangali Traditional Authority received the news of Nujoma’s passing with deep sorrow, and recalled the long fight for independence alongside Nujoma.
“The Ukwangali was a bloody battlefield during the liberation struggle led by President Sam Nujoma as commander-in-chief of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN). Many lives of men, women and children were lost. Many limbs were lost. Many were detained for long periods in solitary confinement without trial," he wrote.
"Our PLAN fighters found moral and material support in Ukwangali more than in any other part of this region. School classes, church services and community meetings were disrupted, and the people endured night and day house raids, arrogant interrogations and inhumane physical torture by the racist South African security forces,” Kudumo recounted.
He further highlighted that the Ukwangali Palace was besieged and set alight several times during the struggle, yet their resolve for independence never wavered.
“Thank you, our Ependa Sam Nujoma, for bringing us independence on 21 March 1990. Today, we can move freely in Ukwangali and throughout Namibia,” he said.
Thank you
He also addressed Nujoma's family directly: “To the widow, children, and the entire bereaved family: We express our gratitude for sharing him with us, especially with the traditional leaders, elders, youth, and vulnerable members of our society. As traditional leaders from Kavango West, we bid farewell to our revolutionary leader and former president, invoking the name of God, the creator of heaven and earth. Go well, Dr Nujoma; you have selflessly embodied all that is good, noble, and honourable for our nation,” he said.
Just last week, Omukwaniilwa Fillemon Shuumbwa Nangolo of the Ondonga Traditional Authority credited Nujoma for the establishment and government recognition of traditional authorities.
Speaking to Namibian Sun at the Royal Palace in Onambango, Nangolo said Nujoma displayed a “genuine love for his people in Namibia and the entire African continent, adding that under Nujoma’s leadership, traditional leaders were supported and included in governance structures through the establishment of the Council of Traditional Leaders.
Yesterday, a procession and memorial service was held in Walvis Bay and will be followed by another in Keetmanshoop today. Tomorrow, Nujoma’s remains will return to Windhoek, where a procession will move through Independence Avenue, with a stop slated at the Swapo headquarters.
[email protected]
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