Namibian President Hage Geingob died Sunday while receiving medical treatment, his office announced. He was 82.
In a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, the Namibian presidency said Geingob’s medical team at Lady Pohamba Hospital did its best to help him, but Geingob died with his wife, Monica Geingos, and children by his side.
Geingob was undergoing treatment for cancer.
The 82-year-old had a colonoscopy and a gastroscopy on Jan. 8, followed by a biopsy, his office said last month.
Angolo Mbumba, Namibia’s acting president, called for calm, saying in the same post that the “Cabinet will convene with immediate effect in order to make the necessary state arrangements in this regard.”
Geingob, who was president of the southern African nation since 2015, was set to finish his second and final term in office this year.
In 2014, he said he had survived prostate cancer.
Nangolo Mbumba sworn-in
Nangolo Mbumba was sworn-in as Namibia’s new leader, replacing President Hage Geingob who succumbed to cancer earlier in the day.
Mbumba, 82, took the oath of office before Chief Justice Peter Shivute during a brief ceremony held at State House in the capital Windhoek.
“I take on this heavy mantle, cognisant of the weight of this responsibility to serve all people of Namibia with utmost dedication and commitment in the service of all citizens.
He described Geingob as the chief architect of the Namibian constitution and a champion of our governance architecture based on sound processes, systems and institutions that are guiding us today.”
Mbumba, who has been Namibia’s vice president since being appointed by Geingob in February 2018, is expected to finish off Geingob’s term which was due to come to an end in March 2025.
Mbumba has also served as chancellor of the University of Namibia since February 2018, and prior to that he served as secretary general of the governing SWAPO party from December 2013 to November 2017.
He also held several ministerial positions in post-independence Namibia, including being minister of agriculture (1993-1996), minister of finance (1996-2003), minister of information (2003-2005), minister of education (2005-2010), and minister of safety and security (2010-2012).
The newly sworn-in president announced that he would not run for office in elections scheduled for November this year in which the governing SWAPO party is expected to field Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as presidential candidate.
Nandi-Ndaitwah was sworn-in as vice president on Sunday. She has until now served as Namibia’s international relations and cooperation minister as well as deputy prime minister.
