The work of Gurirab must comfort us all

Dr. Tobie Aupindi

To Mrs. Joan Guriras, children Dantago, Hagane and the rest of the family of the late Theo-Ben Gurirab and to all the SWAPO Party. I am truly saddened, as I join the rest of the world in mourning the pbading of Cde Gurirab, a true hero of the Namibian liberation struggle and Swapo

as Namibians, we must be comforted by the dedicated work of the deceased. Gurirab, because his struggle was our struggle and his triumph was our triumph. Finally, the accession of Namibia to independence, peace, democracy and prosperity for all is still part of the legacy of the late Cde Gurirab.
When his news arrived, I could not believe it. Because it was just June 5, 2018 that we were sitting with this big giant at the Swapo Political Bureau meeting. From the moment he walked into the meeting, there was a sort of aura around him. Upon entering, Dr. Hage Geingob, the President of the Republic and the Swapo Party, applauded him as well as other faithful for being engaged in Swapo's work, as an badistant at the bureau meetings political and other activities of the party

. The news of his death travels through the Namibian nation and the whole world, I am overcome with a lot of emotions going back in time, at the time of the liberation struggle when we were refugees living in the camps in Angola and later Congo

It was the fans of Swapo as the late Cde Gurirab who made us stay strong every time they visited the Swapo camps in the mountain bushes.

Finally, he continued to give me encouragement, advice and wisdom. when he was prime minister too. Ironically, the late Cde Gurirab will always tell each time that another hero has fallen that "we do not cry the heroes, but we celebrate the life they've lived."

Gurirab's life has always been commitment, dedication and gift. His life and sacrifices should remind us of all the work that remains to be done to achieve Namibia's development goals. He stood the test of time to see that freedom and justice were accomplished.
I would like to pay tribute to this liberator who, with many others, has weathered the storms abroad to fight for the liberation of Namibia. I would like to encourage the Namibian youth that more work remains to be done to consolidate the achievements of our independence.

Issues such as land redistribution, a first-rate education system, adequate housing for all, and economic empowerment need to be further developed for our people to benefit. As part of Swapo's current leadership, we will continue to encourage economic policies and implementation strategies that will enhance the socio-economic empowerment of our people. Rest in peace my dear comrade Senior

* Tobie Ocean Aupindi is a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Swapo party in power