Namibia's president and founding prime minister Hage Geingob died Sunday at 82 while receiving treatment for cancer, and the southern African nation quickly swore in his deputy to complete the remaining time in office. Geingob played a central role in what has become one of Africa's most stable democracies after returning from a long exile in Botswana and the US as an anti-apartheid activist. He was the country's third president, the AP reports, since it gained independence in 1990 following more than a century of German and then apartheid South African rule.
Geingob had been president since 2015 and was to finish his second and final term in office this year. His deputy, Vice President Nangolo Mbumba, was sworn in as acting president in the capital, Windhoek, to complete the term as allowed by the constitution. Elections are set for November. A government statement said Mbumba will lead Namibia until March 2025, when the winner takes office. The presidential office said Geingob died in a hospital with his family by his side. He had returned last month from the US, where he underwent a trial two-day "novel treatment for cancerous cells," according to his office. In 2014, he said he had survived prostate cancer.
Soft-spoken but firm on advancing Africa's agenda in world affairs, Geingob maintained close relations with Western countries including the US but also, like many African leaders, forged a warm relationship with China and other powers. Russian President Vladimir Putin was among those who sent condolences, per the AP. "It is difficult to overestimate his personal contribution to developing friendly relations between Namibia and Russia," a statement said. Geingob was Namibia's first prime minister from 1990 to 2002 and served again from 2008 to 2012. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday described Geingob as "a towering veteran of Namibia's liberation from colonialism and apartheid."
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