Sam Njoma, president of Namibia and the Swapo Party of Control, will speak at a campaign rally in Windhoek, Namibia on November 13, 2004.
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Themba Hadebe/AP
Windhock, Namibia – Sam Njoma, a fiery freedom fighter who became independent of South Africa’s apartheid in 1990, served as the first president for 15 years and known as the father of the country, died. He was 95 years old.
Nujoma’s death was announced on Sunday by current President Nangolo Mbumba. Mbumba said Nujoma died on Saturday night after being hospitalized in the capital Windhoek.
“The foundations of the Republic of Namibia are being shaken,” Mbumba said in a statement. “For the past three weeks, the father of the founder of the Republic of Namibia and the founder of the Namibian countries has been hospitalized for medical care and medical observation for health.”
“Unfortunately, this time the bravest son of our land was unable to recover from his illness,” Mbumba added.
Njoma was respected in his hometown as the figure of a charismatic father who led his country to democracy and stability after a long German colonial rule and a fierce war of independence from South Africa. He spent nearly 30 years in exile as a leader of the independence movement before returning to being elected the country’s first Democratic leader in 1990.
Njoma took their country from colonial or white rules, including Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, and Zamora Macherle of Mozambique, along with his trademark white beard. It was the last of African leaders.
Many Namibians believed in Njoma’s leadership in the national healing and reconciliation process after the war of independence and the deep division of dividing the South African nation into ethnic-based regional governments.
Even his political opponents praised Njoma, who was branded as Marxists and accused of being accused of being ruthlessly oppressed by the ruthless oppression of opposition in exile – white businessmen and politicians of the government participating after independence I praised him for doing it.
Despite his pragmatism and the nation-building at home, Njoma often hit foreign headlines for his fierce anti-Western rhetoric. He claimed that AIDS is an artificial biological weapon, and occasionally engages in oral wars on homosexuality, calling homosexuality “idiots” and branding homosexuality as “foreign and corrupt ideology.”
Nujoma has developed ties with North Korea, Cuba, Russia and China. Some of them supported the Namibian liberation movement by providing weapons and training.
However, he balances it with an outreach to the west, and Nujoma was the first African leader to be hosted in the White House in 1993 by former US President Bill Clinton. The world’s movement towards democracy. ”
Nujoma grew up in a poor country family, the eldest of 11 children. His early life revolved around caring for the cultivation of his parents’ cows and the land. He attended mission school, moved to Windhoek and worked for the South African Railway.
He was arrested in 1959 after political protests and fled the territory shortly after his release. During his exile, he helped establish the South African People’s Organization and was appointed president in 1960. SWAPO has been the ruling party of Namibia since 1990.
When South Africa refused to pay attention to the 1966 UN resolution ending its mission against the former German colonies of Southwest Africa, Njoma launched a Swapo guerrilla campaign.
“We started an armed struggle with just two submachine guns and two pistols,” Nujoma once said. “I got them from Algeria and some more ammunition.”
