‘Papa was indeed a father of the nation’ – Geingob’s daughter

Nangula Geingos, the oldest daughter of president Hage Geingob, says her father’s children understood that they had to share him with the nation.

“Daddy was a father figure to many. We were raised alongside several, several siblings, many of whom are here today. There is a piece of Hage in all of us,” Geingos told a crowd of her father’s family and friends.

On Tuesday night, a large crowd of the late president’s family and friends gathered at his Casa Rosalia residence for the final weekly memorial service ahead of this weekend’s ceremonies.

“Papa was indeed a father of the nation. As his children and grandchildren, we understood that our father wore the heaviest of mantels and we so tried our best to be his support system. To step back and allow others who wanted pieces of him to have their way,” she said as her voice broke, holding back the tears.

She asked those who considered themselves as his child to stand up and more than half the room were on their feet.
“Look around you, we are all his children,” she said.

She said she believes her father nurtured the country with the exact love that they received.

“He fathered an entire nation with the exact same love and concern. ‘Have all the children of Namibia eaten? Is the nation sorted, are businessmen and women given every opportunity to succeed? Is the government doing its part in service delivery, effectively and efficiently? Are the women and children of Namibia comfortable in terms of their dwellings? Are they safe, respected, recognised and included?’,” she said.

Geingos added that her father captivated the youth “with his undeniable [swagger]”, kept the elderly and vulnerable close to his heart and his finger on the pulse of his nation.

“He loved your tweets and roared with laughter when we showed him your viral parodies.”

Kayla Elago, former first lady Monica Geingos’ daughter, said president Hage Geingob loved her mother loudly and through his actions.

“I would like to add, through our shared walls, I would often hear them giggling like high school children at 03h00 in the morning and I’d never understand why, but honestly, I’ll miss it,” she said.

President Geingob’s eldest child, Mangaliso Fernandez, said he expected a sombre and heavily burdened Namibia when he arrived.

“As I prepared to come to Namibia, I asked myself ‘how much heavier is it going to be, how much more difficult, that weight’. When I arrived, I saw nothing but joy and celebration,” he said.

Fernandez added that Namibia has a bright future because his father left behind a stable country, both economically and politically.
Geingob’s cousin Lemmy Geingob took the opportunity to distance his family from claims that they had a hand in the head of state’s death.

His statement follows concerns raised by members of the Damara Traditional Authority expressing that there were allegations the family had a hand in the late president’s sudden death.

He said the family learned of Geingob’s illness on 26 December last year.

“The late president indeed encountered health problems which he disclosed to us during a private family gathering on 26 December 2023. When we converge as a family, the first family would invite us and we would have a family day together, but I knew before that already, because the first lady [Monica Geingos] would tell me he is not fine, he is not healthy,” he said.

Businessman and close friend of president Geingob, Amos Shiyuka, penned a piece to his “Uncle Hage”.

“You gave so much without expecting anything in return and that’s a rare quality… Ai tog, Uncle Hage, my hero, my leader,” he said.

Geingob’s sister Christine Tsandis Louw thanked his widow for loving and standing by her brother, in and out of season.

Her statement was read on her behalf by her daughter Marliza Griffiths.

“I would listen to the radio just to hear him speak,” she said.

Namibia Revenue Agency head Sam Shivute said president Geingob never wavered from his principles, whether it meant speaking up for sanctioned nations or calling out the West for their wrongdoings.

Geingob’s sister-in-law Ebba Kalondo highlighted that the head of state’s love for his family was displayed in the way he opened his home to them.