Maria David
THE late senior traditional councillor of the Ovambanderu Traditional Authority, Gerson Kunomundu Katjirua, was laid to rest on Sunday.
Katjirua died last month.
He was also the chairperson of the OvaHerero/OvaMbanderu and Nama Council for Dialogue on the 1904–1908 Genocide.
According to President Nandi-Ndaitwah, the choice of Okahandja for the burial of the mortal remains of the departed Senior Traditional Councillor Katjirua is not a mere coincidence.
He was buried close to Chief Munjuku II Nguvauva, a leader whom Councillor Katjirua served for many decades as principal advisor with utmost dedication and distinction.
“Our departed traditional and community leader will also be buried close to a national hero, Chief Kahimemua Nguvauva, who bravely resisted German colonialism until he was executed at Okahandja in 1896,” she said.
She added that, for these reasons, at the inauguration of Heroes Acre on 26 August 2002, the Founding President and Father of the Namibian Nation, the late Sam Nujoma, declared Chief Kahimemua one of the heroes and heroines of the Namibian people.
The President said that the late Katjirua joins this historic resting place of illustrious individuals, having played a very important role in the furtherance of the liberation struggle under SWAPO, when he accompanied Chief Munjuku II Nguvauva on various trips to Zambia before independence.
She indicated that it was there that he met Nujoma in exile during the liberation struggle, at a time when it was difficult to do so.
“Indeed, the passing of Katjirua is a difficult period of grief for his wife, the children, the Ovambanderu Traditional Authority, and the many people he touched with his track record of remarkable service to all those he reached,” she added.
She urged Namibians to draw solace and strength from the Lord, who grants life and also takes life away. It is the Lord’s will and in the Lord’s time.
Photo: NBC Digital News
