Namibia’s Founding President Sam Nujoma Dies at 95

Sam Nujoma, Namibia’s first democratically elected president and widely regarded as the country’s founding father, has passed away at the age of 95.

Current Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba announced Nujoma’s death during a national broadcast on Sunday, describing him as a revered freedom fighter and revolutionary leader. Nujoma passed away late Saturday after spending three weeks in the hospital.

A key figure in Namibia’s struggle for independence, Nujoma led the South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), a liberation movement that later became the country’s first ruling party following independence from South Africa in 1990.

Namibia had been under South African rule since World War I, following the occupation of Germany’s former colony, then known as German South West Africa.

The country officially gained independence on March 21, 1990, with Nujoma sworn in as its first president. He was re-elected twice, serving three terms before stepping down in 2005.

Nujoma is survived by his wife, Kovambo Nujoma, and two children. His legacy as a key architect of Namibia’s independence and a guiding force in its early years of nationhood remains deeply ingrained in the country’s history.