Vice-President Nangolo Mbumba disclosed the news of President Hage Geingob’s passing on Sunday.
What the vice-president said:
“It is with utmost sadness and regret that I inform you that our beloved Dr. Hage G. Geingob, the President of the Republic of Namibia has passed on today. At his side, was his dear wife Madame Monica Geingos and his children,”
“The Namibian nation has lost a distinguished servant of the people, a liberation struggle icon, the chief architect of our constitution and the pillar of the Namibian house,”
“At this moment of deepest sorrow, I appeal to the nation to remain calm and collected while the Government attends to all necessary state arrangements, preparations and other protocols,” he said.
Namibia’s President Hage Geingob traveled to the United States last month for cancer treatment and reportedly returned on Feb. 2.
Until his passing, he was undergoing treatment at Lady Pohamba Hospital in Windhoek.
As prime minister in 2014, Geingob told the public that he had survived prostate cancer. He assumed the presidency the following year.
He had previously held the position of Namibia’s longest-serving prime minister, serving for a total of 12 years from 1990 and a brief stint in 2012.
In the 2014 election, he won a huge majority, taking 87% of the vote. However, five years later, his support had decreased, and he won with 56% in the subsequent election.
According to the constitution, Mr Mbumba will now act as president as there is less than a year left of Mr Geingob’s second term in office. Namibia is gearing up for presidential and parliamentary elections at the end of 2024.
