26 Feb 2024

Botswana will on March 13 host a memorial service in honour of the  deceased former Namibian President Dr Hage Geingob, who was laid to rest in Windhoek on Sunday.

In an interview after concluding his trip to lay Geingob to rest in Namibia over the weekend, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said he had informed the new Namibian President Mr Nangolo Mumba and his government that Botswana would host the commemoration of Geingob’s life next month.

Dr Masisi revealed that the event would focus on the relationship Dr Geingob had with Botswana, which started with his exile to Francistown in the early 1960s to strengthening bilateral relations as President of Namibia between 2015 and 2024.

"On  March 13,  we will host a memorial service, organised by the government of Botswana in honour of President Geingob at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC). We are going to invite a high-level Namibian representative to speak about Dr Geingob’s legacy and how he related with Botswana," Dr Masisi said.

The President added that his delegation was well received in Namibia, where at the end of the burial authorities publicly expressed appreciation for Botswana's support during their bereavement.

Dr Masisi was the first head of state to visit and offer condolences, he provided vehicles and motorcars for use during the memorial service and funeral and declared a period of mourning with flags flying half-mast.

"Our neighbours appreciated our gesture; even at home, it is within our culture to be supportive of others during their period of bereavement. We managed to lay him to rest, we now need to ensure that we stick together and unite as Botswana and Namibia, something I have already discussed and agreed upon with President Mumba," Dr Masisi said. BOPA