Hompa Mpasi laid to rest

The leader of the Ukwangali Traditional Authority in the Kavango West Region, Chief Daniel Sitentu Mpasi, was buried on Saturday. Chief Mpasi was buried at the Mayara royal family graveyard adjacent to his house, 120 km west of Rundu. Mpasi died on December 17 at the Nkurenkuru Mission Hospital after a long illness. He was 80. The Ukwangali Traditional Authority area came to a standstill as most of Mpasi’s subjects as well as several cabinet ministers and members of parliament flocked to his palace to pay their last respects. Speaker after speaker described Mpasi as a committed traditional leader who dedicated his life to the struggle for the country’s independence and the upliftment of his subjects. The late Ukwangali leader was described as one of few traditional leaders who contributed significantly to the government’s development agenda, while creating a conducive environment for churches to operate in his area during the colonial regime. President Hifikepunye Pohamba and First Lady Penehupifo Pohamba, as well as Queen Martha Mwadinomho Kristian Nelumbu of Oukwanyama, also attended the burial. The Head of State described Mpasi as a dedicated community leader who led his community for many decades, championing the maintenance of peace among his communities and surrounding areas. “The passing away of Hompa Sitentu Mpasi has robbed Namibia of a dedicated compatriot and a traditional leader of distinct character,” said the Namibian leader. Pohamba said Mpasi mobilised his subjects to support the national liberation struggle against oppression and the illegal occupation of the country by the apartheid colonial South Africa. He said after independence the late Ukwangali leader worked tirelessly towards the upliftment of his subjects’ living standards. Mpasi supported the government’s development programmes and projects such as Green Scheme programme. According to the Namibian leader, Chief Mpasi proposed to the government for the construction of an all-weather road between Nkurenkuru and Tsumeb, which has been done. “As we lay Hompa Mpasi to rest, we are strengthened and consoled by the knowledge that he lived a purposeful and exemplary life,” said Pohamba. The late Ukwangali Chief is survived by his wife, Irene Isoni Mpasi, nine children, 42 grandchildren and 50 great-grandchildren. Mpasi was the 20th leader of the Ukwangali Authority, and had been leader for 35 years. He took over from his cousin, the late Chief Joseph Kandjimi, who died in 1979. MAYARA NAMPA