Delegation of Tanzania’s ruling CCM arrives in Namibia for Sam Nujoma’s state funeral

Windhoek. Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Secretary-General, Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi, has arrived in Namibia, leading a delegation to attend the state funeral of the country’s founding president and Father of the Nation, Dr Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma. The funeral is scheduled to take place on 1st March 2025.

Dr Nchimbi, accompanied by the CCM National Executive Committee (NEC) Secretary for Politics and International Relations, Comrade Rabia Abdalla Hamid, landed at Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek on 26th February 2025. The delegation was received by Tanzania’s Ambassador to Namibia, Caesar Waitara.

The CCM delegation will participate in a series of events to pay their last respects to Dr Nujoma, starting from 27th February 2025.

Namibia’s ruling party, SWAPO, a long-time ally of CCM, has organised ceremonies in honour of its founding leader.

On 28th February 2025, Dr Nchimbi is expected to attend the national memorial service before joining the official state funeral on 1st March 2025 at Heroes’ Acre cemetery in Windhoek.

Tanzania and Namibia share a longstanding historical relationship, with CCM and SWAPO maintaining close ties since the liberation struggle against colonial rule and apartheid.

The late Dr Nujoma and several SWAPO leaders sought refuge in Tanzania during the 1960s, where they actively engaged in the fight for Namibia’s independence. 

It was in Tanzania that SWAPO was formally established as a political movement leading to Namibia’s eventual independence in 1990.

Sam Nujoma, the activist and guerrilla leader who became Namibia's first democratically elected president after it won its independence from apartheid South Africa, died aged 95 on Saturday, February 8.

Nujoma was formally recognised as "Founding Father of the Namibian Nation" through a 2005 act of parliament.