60 years of friendship
60 years of friendship

60 years of friendship

Nujoma unfazed by obstacles - Ngavirue
Jemima Beukes
Namibia's envoy on genocide and reparations, Dr Zed Ngavirue, has shared 60 years of friendship with Founding Father Dr Sam Nujoma.

He describes his friend as someone with tremendous courage, who is rarely fazed by obstacles and has to be reminded sometimes that some things are not possible.

Ngavirue recalls how he met Nujoma during the early days of the liberation struggle, in the 1950s. This was when Nujoma was attending evening classes at St Barnabas Primary School in Windhoek.

“We were interested in common things, in politics and the other person with whom we shared interests was the late Clemence Kapuuo. In those days we used to read things like Kwame Nkrumah's autobiography,” he recalls.

By the time Ngavirue returned from South Africa, where he went to do a teacher's diploma, both of them were married.

Ngavirue, who left Namibia in 1961 to go into exile, recalls how Nujoma, a steadfast fighter, fought viciously for Namibians persecuted and deported during the apartheid rule.

“We were really sort of comrades/friends and when (South African apartheid prime minister) Hendrik Verwoerd appointed a commission of inquiry, there were few of us myself, Nujoma and the late Willie Kaukwetu, who volunteered to give evidence before the whole commission of inquiry. Of course there was curfew and patrols and people were scared.”

Ngavirue remembers fondly how Nujoma saw potential in everyone and how he rode on his bicycle to give moral support to a group of women who started a demonstration in the Damara section of the Old Location.

“He was that kind of person; he improved his own education, which demonstrates his strong determination and confidence in himself and his people,” said Ngavirue.

He said he was inspired by Nujoma's faith in people, even when the same people doubted themselves.

“There is for instance something I was told by the late Dr (Mosé) Tjitendero, who was a well-educated guy.

“When Nujoma called him to appoint him as the first speaker of the National Assembly, he said, 'comrade president I have always been a teacher, how can I be a speaker?' and Nujoma responded, 'comrade be serious, where was I president of a country before',” Ngavirue recalls.

Ngavirue is the Namibian government's special envoy for the 1904-08 Herero and Nama genocide and was head of the National Planning Commission (NPC) during Nujoma's tenure as head of state.

Ngavirue established The South West News, a newspaper printed in English, Afrikaans, Otjiherero and Oshiwambo.

Ngavirue and the late Emil Appolus were the first editors of the publication and later played a prominent role in the South West African National Union (Swanu).

Ngavirue was previously Namibia's ambassador to the European Union, as well as to Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

JEMIMA BEUKES

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Namibian Sun 2024-03-28

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Katima Mulilo: 19° | 37° Rundu: 17° | 33° Eenhana: 18° | 33° Oshakati: 20° | 31° Ruacana: 19° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 28° Omaruru: 18° | 31° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Gobabis: 17° | 28° Henties Bay: 16° | 19° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 10:54, High tide: 04:57, Low Tide: 22:58, High tide: 17:16 Swakopmund: 15° | 17° Wind speed: 29km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:55, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:14 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 33km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:54, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:13 Rehoboth: 18° | 29° Mariental: 22° | 32° Keetmanshoop: 21° | 34° Aranos: 21° | 31° Lüderitz: 15° | 29° Ariamsvlei: 23° | 34° Oranjemund: 15° | 21° Luanda: 27° | 30° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 24° Mbabane: 15° | 23° Maseru: 12° | 28° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 29° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Cape Town: 17° | 23° Durban: 21° | 25° Johannesburg: 18° | 28° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 18° | 30° Harare: 15° | 31° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.87 | EUR to NAD 20.44 | CNY to NAD 2.62 | USD to NAD 18.94 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.8 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 134.29 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.93 | USD to ZMW 25.01 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 74536 Up +0.85% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1528.69 Up +0.84% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12981.98 Up +0.34% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 27559.35 Down -2.36% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 219.48/OZ UP +1.31% | Copper US$ 3.98/lb UP +0.01% | Zinc US$ 2 453.50/T DOWN -0.12% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.30/BBP UP +1.06% | Platinum US$ 906.04/OZ UP +1.25% Sport results: Weather: Katima Mulilo: 19° | 37° Rundu: 17° | 33° Eenhana: 18° | 33° Oshakati: 20° | 31° Ruacana: 19° | 33° Tsumeb: 17° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 28° Omaruru: 18° | 31° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Gobabis: 17° | 28° Henties Bay: 16° | 19° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 10:54, High tide: 04:57, Low Tide: 22:58, High tide: 17:16 Swakopmund: 15° | 17° Wind speed: 29km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:55, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:14 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 33km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 10:52, High tide: 04:54, Low Tide: 22:56, High tide: 17:13 Rehoboth: 18° | 29° Mariental: 22° | 32° Keetmanshoop: 21° | 34° Aranos: 21° | 31° Lüderitz: 15° | 29° Ariamsvlei: 23° | 34° Oranjemund: 15° | 21° Luanda: 27° | 30° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 24° Mbabane: 15° | 23° Maseru: 12° | 28° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 29° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 28° Cape Town: 17° | 23° Durban: 21° | 25° Johannesburg: 18° | 28° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 18° | 30° Harare: 15° | 31° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.87 | EUR to NAD 20.44 | CNY to NAD 2.62 | USD to NAD 18.94 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.8 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 134.29 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.93 | USD to ZMW 25.01 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 74536 Up +0.85% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1528.69 Up +0.84% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12981.98 Up +0.34% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 27559.35 Down -2.36% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 219.48/OZ UP +1.31% | Copper US$ 3.98/lb UP +0.01% | Zinc US$ 2 453.50/T DOWN -0.12% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.30/BBP UP +1.06% | Platinum US$ 906.04/OZ UP +1.25%