Africa-Press – Angola. The Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço, said he was convinced that the Namibian people will know how to transform the pain and sadness at the loss of their President, into energy to dedicate themselves, with vigor, to building their nation.
João Lourenço hopes that Namibians will know how to dedicate themselves to building the Nation, strong, resilient and exemplary in terms of stability, security and peace, which President Hage Geingob had in his Nation project.
The Angolan President spoke at the Independence Stadium, in Windhoek, at the state funeral ceremony, for the physical passing of Hage Geingob, on February 4th, victim of cancer.
“It is up to me, as President of the Republic of Angola and in office of SADC, the painful responsibility of paying tribute in this deeply sad ceremony, in which we say goodbye for eternity to our brother, friend, comrade and fellow fighter, the President Hage Geingob”, said João Lourenço.
For the statesman, the late President of Namibia was an unavoidable figure in the African liberation process, an intrepid defender of freedom, democracy and the dignity of the African and Namibian peoples in particular, to which he dedicated a large part of his life.
“On behalf of the leaders and people of SADC and our partners, I would like to say that the legacy left by our comrade whom we say goodbye must be preserved and serve as a reference for the achievement of the great objectives of SADC and Africa, such as way of paying homage to this great African figure in our contemporary history”, he highlighted.
João Lourenço highlighted the active and driving role that Hage Geingob played, as acting President of SADC in 2018, during which he led the regional industrialization agenda.
According to the Angolan Head of State, Gueingob promoted the development of regional infrastructures, the training of young people and the sustainable development of the region, within the scope of fulfilling the objectives that his presidency set out to achieve.
He also highlighted the role that the Namibian statesman played in defending peace, stability and security in the region, “fundamental premises for the economic and social development of our sub-region”.
“The achievements of President Hage Geingob are of such magnitude and scope that we would not be able to describe in brief words the way in which he dedicated himself and gave himself to the cause of building progress and development of his nation, Southern Africa and the continent African in general”, he stated.
Regarding the two countries, João Lourenço said that over the years of the common struggle against the Apartheid regime in South Africa, Angola and Namibia established unbreakable and lasting bonds of friendship, brotherhood and cooperation that make them proud.
“The pain of the Namibian people is our pain and, for this reason, we are present to share this pain and say that in difficult times like this, you can always count on our solidarity”, highlighted the Head of State.
To the widow of the deceased, his children, the entire bereaved family, the people and the Namibian Government, on behalf of the Angolan Executive and that of SADC, President João Lourenço expressed his “deepest feelings of condolence”.
João Lourenço was the first of the Heads of State to speak at the ceremony, from a list that included his counterparts from Botswana, Burundi, Ethiopia, Germany, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Sunday is reserved for the funeral of Hage Geingob, at Heroes’ Acre, between 10am and 12pm, with the gates opening to the public at 6am.
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