Namibia’s President, Hage Geingob, died at the age of 82 while receiving medical treatment in a hospital in the capital, Windhoek.
Geingob, a veteran of the country’s independence struggle, was diagnosed with cancer and revealed the details to the public last month.
Vice President Nangolo Mbumba announced that he died early Sunday with his wife and children by his side.
He said Namibia “has lost…an outstanding servant of the people.”
In accordance with the Constitution, Mr. Mumba will now assume the office of President, as Mr. Geingob’s second term in office is less than a year away. Presidential and parliamentary elections were already scheduled for November.
The exact cause of the president’s death has not been determined, but last month he underwent “a new two-day treatment for cancer cells” in the United States before returning to his country on January 31, his office said.
Leaders from around the world sent messages of condolence.
Among them is Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of neighboring South Africa, who described him as “a veteran who contributed to the liberation of Namibia from colonialism and apartheid.”
Mr. Jinpop, a tall man with a deep, raspy voice and a commanding presence, was a long-time member of the SWAPO party. She led the movement against the apartheid regime in South Africa, which effectively annexed the country then known as South West Africa.
He lived in exile for 27 years, spending time in Botswana, the United States and the United Kingdom, where he studied for a doctorate in politics. Geingob returned to Namibia in 1989, a year before the country gained independence.
“Looking back, the journey of building a new Namibia was worthwhile,” he wrote on social media in 2020 while sharing a photo of himself kissing the ground upon his return.
“Although we have made a lot of progress in developing our country, there is more work ahead to build an inclusive society.”
Mr. Geingob became President in 2015 and was in his second and final term in office. BBC
