Eba Kandovazu
PRESIDENT Hage Geingo has conferred the honour of a state funeral on Immanuel Ngatjizeko, who passed away on Sunday, in a Windhoek hospital.
A statement from the presidency said Ngatjizeko was conferred the honour of a national hero. Contacted for comment, Press Secretary Alfredo Hengari did not confirm whether or not Ngatjizeko would be buried at the Heroes Acre since he is declared a national hero.
Geingob described the former Minister and Member of Parliament as a dedicated freedom fighter, an affable colleague and member of the Namibian Cabinet who served the people of Namibia with great passion, distinction and commitment.
“The remains of the late Honourable Ngatjizeko will be interred on a date and place to be agreed to in consultation with the family.”
President Geingob said Ngatjizeko was a freedom fighter who served in the internal wing of Swapo, fighting for the liberation of Namibia, he was a Swapo Organiser since 1978, serving in the Internal Executive Committee of Swapo, leading to his arrest and torture by the South African Apartheid regime,” Hengari said in a statement.
Ngatjizeko was elected to the Swapo Party Central Committee in 1991 and to the SWAPO Party Politburo in 2007 and occupied roles in the Party such as Party Secretary for Finance and Managing Director of the Swapo Party owned company, Zebra Holdings. He also served in the Windhoek City Council, first as chairperson of the Council’s Management Committee and later as Mayor of Windhoek.
Ngatjizeko became a member of Parliament in 2000, after which he was appointed Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy by the Founding President Sam Nujoma. He later served in various portfolios such as Director-General of the National Planning Commission, Minister of Trade and Industry, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Minister of Safety and Security, Minister of Industrialisation and Trade and lastly as Minister in the Presidency, the portfolio he held until he resigned from office in 2018 for reasons of health.
