Namibia swears in new president following death of Hage Geingob

Namibia has sworn in vice-president Nangolo Mbumba hours after he had announced the death of his predecessor who passed away on Sunday.

The country’s president, Hage Geingob, died early in the early hours of Sunday while receiving medical treatment at a hospital in the capital, Windhoek.

Mr Geingob had been diagnosed with cancer and announced the diagnosis to the public last month.

Speaking shortly after he was sworn-in at the state house, the new president paid tribute to his predecessor. He said,  “our nation remains calm and stable owing to the leadership of President Geingob who was the chief architect of the constitution”.

“I take on this heavy mantle cognisant of the weight of responsibility.”

Mr Geingob was first sworn in as president in 2015 but had taken various political roles since independence in 1990.

The actual cause of his death remained unknown, although his office stated that he received “a two-day novel treatment for cancerous cells” in the United States last month before returning home on January 31.

Leaders from around the world have been sending condolence messages including Somalia, Nigeria, South Africa, and several others who praised his giant strides in liberating Namibia from colonialism and apartheid.