According to an Al Jazeera story on Sunday, Namibian President Hage Geingob, 82, passed away one month after it was revealed he would receive cancer treatment. The acting president of Namibia, Nangolo Mbumba, released a statement on Geingob’s official Facebook page stating that the country’s president passed away on Sunday at Lady Pohamba Hospital in Windhoek, with his wife and children by his side.
“The Namibian nation has lost a distinguished servant of the people, a liberation struggle icon, the chief architect of our constitution and the pillar of the Namibian house,” Mbumba said.
“At this moment of deepest sorrow, I appeal to the nation to remain calm and collected while the Government attends to all necessary state arrangements, preparations and other protocols. Further announcements in this regard will be made,” the acting President added.
Al Jazeera reports that Geingob’s office declared last month that the African leader had started treatment after “cancerous cells” were found during routine gastroscopy and colonoscopy procedures. A few days later, his office announced that he would be returning to Namibia in February after receiving medical treatment in the United States. Prior to his election as Namibia’s third president in 2014, Geingob had a medical history.
He underwent an aortic operation last year in neighbouring South Africa and in 2014, he revealed that he had survived prostate cancer.
Namibia, a former German colony that achieved independence from South Africa in 1990, is scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in November.
