EDITORIAL: Namibia bids farewell to Geingob

Namibia is jumping into action like never before in an effort to prepare a befitting memorial and burial service for late president Hage Geingob over the next three days.

Following weeks of national mourning, Namibians will on Sunday bid farewell to Geingob, with the country expected come to a standstill in honour of the man who helped birth our republic.

To many, his death may still seem surreal, and the mood in the country since that fateful morning on 4 February has been sombre.

The state funeral for Namibia’s third president will be the culmination of a period of mourning when the country came together to share the sorrow of losing a leader, while fostering unity and inclusivity.

Geingob’s political rhetoric and his charismatic nature won him many followers during his presidency, but it also invited critics who felt he was more talk than action.

But be that as it may, we cannot ignore his contribution to his motherland since his younger days. After all, our imperfections as human beings define us as much as our strengths do.

With an extraordinary crowd of global leaders expected to attend the proceedings this weekend to remember a man whose contribution spanned Namibia’s toughest economic and political periods, we would like to wish all Namibians strength and courage as we bid farewell to a true son of the soil.

May his mantra – “inclusivity spells harmony, exclusivity spells conflict” - remind us of the important role we as Namibians have to play to continue building our nation.