Namibian President Hage Geingob, an independence figure and ardent opponent of South Africa's apartheid regime, died early Sunday at the age of 82 in hospital where he was being treated for cancer, the presidency announced.
Hage Geingob, who was elected president in 2014, died in Windhoek, the Namibian capital, where he was hospitalized after cancer cells were discovered during a medical examination, the presidency said.
“It is with great sadness and regret that I inform you that our beloved Dr. Hage G. Geingob, the President of the Republic of Namibia, passed away today,” said a statement published on the social network X and signed by the new interim head of state Nangolo Mbumba, until then Vice President.
Hage Geingob was first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2019 as president of Namibia, a semi-desert country in southern Africa, one of the last states on the continent to gain independence in 1990.
Mr Geingob was surrounded by his wife and children at the time of his death at the Lady Pohamba Hospital in the capital, the statement said.
Last month, the presidential office announced that a routine medical examination had detected the presence of “cancer cells” in the head of state and said he would undergo “appropriate treatment” while maintaining his functions.
Hage Geingob was already suffering from health problems before he came to power. In 2013, he underwent brain surgery. Last year he had aortic surgery in South Africa, a neighboring country to Namibia.
“The Namibian nation has lost a distinguished servant of the people, an icon of the liberation struggle, the chief architect of our constitution and the pillar of our Namibian home,” Mr Mbumba said.
“In this moment of deep sadness, I call on the nation to remain calm and composed,” he added.
Independence activist
Born in northern Namibia in 1941, Hage Gottfried Geingob began activism at a young age, calling for an end to the apartheid regime in South Africa, which then ruled the Namibian territory before going into exile for almost three decades.
In the United States, he passionately campaigned for Namibia's independence and represented the country's liberation movement SWAPO – the current ruling party – at the United Nations and in America.
He returned to Namibia in 1989, a year before his country's independence and his first appointment as prime minister.
He remained in office for twelve years, a record for longevity in Namibia, before taking up the post again in 2012.
In 2014, he was elected president thanks to a tidal wave of elections (87%). However, his first term was marred by a recession, high unemployment and allegations of dishonest behavior.
In 2019, documents released by WikiLeaks suggested that government officials received bribes from an Icelandic company seeking access to Namibia's fishing resources.
Despite the controversy, Mr Geingob won a second term in 2019, but received fewer votes than before (56%).