Luanda - The National Assembly (AN) considered on Monday, in Luanda, Sam Nujoma as an uncompromising revolutionary, a politician faithful to Pan-Africanist principles and a stern defender of the freedom and cultural identity of Namibians, as well as African peoples.
In a note of condolences, that ANGOP had access to, the Angolan Parliament addresses to the Namibian people the deepest feelings of regret due to the death of the first President of the Republic of Namibia, Samuel Daniel Shafiishuna "Sam Nujoma", which occurred on Saturday, in Windhoek, at the age of 95, victim of illness.
For the parliament, Sam Nujoma is an unavoidable character in the history of his people's anti-apartheid and anti-colonialist struggle.
"His death, which occurred on February 8th of this year, shook not only the Namibian people but also the entire African continent and the world, taking into account the lesson of humble life and firm truth in the principles that always determined him in favour of peace, freedom and development of the African people", reads the document signed by the Speaker of National Assembly (AN), Carolina Cerqueira.
The AN document stresses that the unfortunate event, which shocked the people of Southern Africa in particular, deprives Namibia of the founding father of the Nation and the Southern African region of one of the greatest strongholds in the struggle for self-determination.
To recall that, since the 1960s, with the founding of the South West African People's Organization (SWAPO) and the beginning of the armed struggle, he assumed himself as a true son of Africa and as a founding member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), he left indelible marks on the process of integration and progress in the Southern African region.
The National Parliament expresses its solidarity with the brothers of the Republic of Namibia and the distinguished family and friends of the deceased, reaffirming its most heartfelt condolences and solidarity with parliamentarians and the entire Namibian people.
Background
Sam Nujoma was born on May 12, 1929, from a farming family and he was the eldest of 10 children.
At age 17 he left the remote northern village where he lived and moved to the western port town of Walvis Bay.
He soon observed discrimination against black people and quickly became a member of a union, attending night classes, where he met those considered pro-Independence activists.
Sam Nujoma was forced into exile in 1960, first in Botswana, then in Ghana and the United States, at a time when he had to leave behind a wife and four children.
At the head of SWAPO, he launched the armed struggle in 1966, which resulted in the war for independence that claimed more than 20,000 lives.
When he became president of Namibia, Sam Nujoma did not accept to create a commission to investigate the cruelty committed during the 23-year conflict between SWAPO and pro-South African death squads.
After retiring from political life, he returned to school and obtained a master's degree in Geology, being convinced that the mountains of Namibia contained untapped mineral riches.
VIC/MRA/jmc
