Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Eliaser Ndeyanale
Published on 2024-02-20 17:05:24
President Nangolo Mbumba was aware that something was wrong from the moment President Hage Geingob’s staff started sending constant updates while flying him back home from the United States. This was unusual, as the president’s staff never gave him constant updates while he was mid-air. This unusual behavior was a red flag for Mbumba. The president and his team were flying over Nigeria from the United States when Mbumba received a strange text message, which made him question why his team was providing location updates and communication was different from previous flights. Mbumba recently opened up for the first time about Geingob’s final days in a candid interview with the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) on Sunday. Alongside him during the NBC interview was National Assembly speaker, Peter Katjavivi.
The two men spoke of how they clung to hope for Geingob’s recovery until the final hours as they waited to hear from the doctors once he landed on home ground. When the plane flew to the US on 24 January, Mbumba had high hopes that the president would return to his old energetic self. Mbumba revealed that he and Geingob had a habit of never saying the word “goodbye” to each other whenever Geingob was flying out of the country.
The day Geingob left for his medical treatment trip to the US was no different. Mbumba recalled accompanying the president and his team to the airport to send him off, shaking hands and refraining from saying goodbye. Geingob had traveled to the US for novel cancer treatment, and Mbumba said that since the day Geingob left the country for the US, he was constantly in touch with the team that joined the late president, which was unusual.
Upon their return home, Mbumba also mentioned that Geingob’s flight experienced difficulties connecting in Algiers and received a message from one of the president’s security staff when they were flying over Nigeria. Additionally, the handover of power to Mbumba took an unusual form, with the vice president announced as the acting president for the first time. Mbumba highlighted these experiences as unusual and signs of things to come.
Following Geingob’s return from the US, Mbumba received a strange phone call from Geingob’s phone, which turned out to be from Geingob’s wife asking him to come and be updated by the doctors. Subsequent updates from the president’s medical team gave Mbumba hope that Geingob would recover, but unfortunately, the situation did not improve and the news of his passing came as a shock.
Mbumba shared the difficulty of breaking the news to the nation and the world and emphasized the importance of the government structure and authority when announcing such news. Katjavivi, a close friend of Geingob’s, shared his experience of visiting Geingob hours before he passed away and expressed his deep sense of hope for recovery even in the final hours. He also recalled plans he, Mbumba, and Geingob intended to carry out after Geingob’s retirement.
Political analyst Henning Melber brought up questions surrounding Geingob’s departure for medical treatment to the US and speculated about the circumstances, suggesting that Geingob may have realized his life was ending during his time in the US and chose to return home to die. Melber questioned why this should be a contentious issue and emphasized the need for evidence before drawing any conclusions.
In conclusion, the interviews with President Nangolo Mbumba and Peter Katjavivi provided insight into the last days of President Hage Geingob and the emotions and experiences of those close to him during this difficult time. The circumstances surrounding his departure and return from the US for medical treatment raise questions and speculation, but it is clear that the loss of Geingob has left a significant impact on those who knew and worked closely with him.
Read the original article on The Namibian
