Saudi Arabia, Japan strengthen cultural collaboration with new MoU    Slovak president meets Saudi delegation to bolster trade and investment ties    Civil Defense warns of thunderstorms across Saudi Arabia until Tuesday    Saudi defense minister meets with Swedish state secretary    Navigating healthcare's future: Solutions for a sustainable system    Sixth foreign tourist dies of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos    Hungary's Orbán vows to ignore war crimes arrest warrant for Netanyahu    Russia gives North Korea million barrels of oil, breaking sanctions: report    Al Khaleej qualifies for Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship final    Katy Perry v Katie Perry: Singer wins right to use name in Australia    Trump picks Pam Bondi as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws    Al-Jasser: Saudi Arabia to expand rail network to over 8,000 km    OMODA&JAECOO: Unstoppable global cumulative sales over 360,000 units    Al Hilal doesn't need extra support to bring new players, CEO says    Saudi Arabia sees 73.7% rise in investment licenses in Q3 2024    Rafael Nadal: Farewell to the 'King of Clay'    Indonesia shocks Saudi Arabia with 2-0 victory in AFC Asian Qualifiers    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    GASTAT report: 45.1% of Saudis are overweight    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Namibia's President Geingob dies aged 82
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 04 - 02 - 2024

Namibia's President Hage Geingob has died at the age of 82 while receiving medical treatment at a hospital in the capital, Windhoek.
A veteran of the country's independence struggle, Geingob had been diagnosed with cancer and revealed the details to the public last month.
He died early on Sunday with his wife and children by his side, Vice-President Nangolo Mbumba announced.
Namibia "has lost... a distinguished servant of the people", he said.
He was first sworn-in as president in 2015, but had served in top political positions since independence in 1990.
According to the constitution, Mbumba will now act as president as there was less than a year left of Geingob's second term in office. Presidential and parliamentary elections had already been scheduled for November.
The exact cause of the president's death was not given but last month he underwent "a two-day novel treatment for cancerous cells" in the US before flying back home on Jan. 31, his office had said.
On Namibian radio, people have been paying tribute to someone they described as a visionary as well as a jovial man, who was able to share a joke.
Leaders from around the world have been sending condolence messages with many talking about Geingob's efforts to ensure his country's freedom.
Among them has been Cyril Ramaphosa, president of neighboring South Africa, who described him as "a towering veteran of Namibia's liberation from colonialism and apartheid".
Geinbob, a tall man with a deep, gravelly voice and a commanding presence was a long-serving member of the Swapo party.
It led the movement against apartheid South Africa, which had effectively annexed the country, then known as South West Africa, and introduced its system of legalized racism that excluded black people from political and economic power.
Geinbob lived in exile for 27 years, spending time in Botswana, the US and the UK, where he studied for a PhD in politics.
He came back to Namibia in 1989, a year before the country gained independence.
"Looking back, the journey of building a new Namibia has been worthwhile," he wrote on social media in 2020 while sharing a picture of him kissing the ground on his return.
"Even though we have made a lot of progress in developing our country, more work lies ahead to build an inclusive society."
When Geingob first became president in 2015, he had already been the country's longest-serving prime minister — in the post for 12 years from 1990 and then again for a shorter stint in 2012.
But going by results at the ballot box, his popularity had declined.
In the 2014 election, he won a huge majority, taking 87% of the vote. But five years later that had fallen to 56%.
Geingob's first term coincided with a stagnant economy and high levels of unemployment and poverty, according to the World Bank.
His party also faced a number of corruption scandals during his time in office. This included what became known as "fishrot", where ministers and top officials were accused of taking bribes in exchange for the awarding of lucrative fishing quotas.
By 2021, three-quarters of the population thought that the country was going in the wrong direction, a three-fold increase since 2014, according to independent polling organization Afrobarometer.
Three decades after independence, the heroic narrative of Swapo having liberated the country was losing its appeal among a generation born after the event, long-time observer of Namibian politics Henning Melber wrote in 2021.
Swapo, in power since independence, had chosen Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as its presidential candidate for November's planned elections.
She is currently the deputy prime minister, and will become the country's first female president if she wins. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.