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Sam Nujoma, the guerrilla leader who became Namibia’s first president after the country gained independence from South Africa in 1990, has died at the age of 95, the Namibian presidency confirmed in a Facebook post late on Saturday.
Nujoma had been hospitalised for the past three weeks, battling an illness from which he could not recover, according to a statement from President Nangolo Mbumba.
“It is therefore with utmost sorrow and sadness that I announce this morning of the 9th of February 2025 to the Namibian people, our African brothers and sisters and the world at large, about the passing of our revered freedom fighter and revolutionary leader,” Mbumba said.
“Our Founding Father lived a long and consequential life during which he exceptionally served the people of his beloved country.”
Born to impoverished farmers from the Ovambo tribe, Nujoma was the eldest of ten children. His first job was as a railway sweeper in 1949 while attending night classes, which sparked his political awareness. In the late 1950s, Nujoma joined black workers in Windhoek who resisted a government order to relocate to a new township.
Sam Nujoma entered exile in 1960, the same year he was elected to lead the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), which spearheaded the liberation struggle.
Following Namibia’s independence, Nujoma became the country’s first president in 1990, a role he held until 2005.
“He inspired us to rise and become masters of our vast ancestral land,” President Mbumba said.
