Former member of Parliament, Reverend Willem Konjore was on Saturday laid to rest at #Gabes in the Karasburg district in the ||Kharas Region.

Konjore died after a short illness in Windhoek about two weeks ago at the age of 75.

In a speech delivered on his behalf at the funeral over the weekend, President Hage Geingob described the late Konjore as a man that lived for God, the country and family and to the very end, carried himself with the dignity of a man of the cloth and the commitment of a true patriot.

“Although comrade Konjore will not walk amongst us anymore, as a man of action, a man whose action was guided by love, his legacy will endure for years and the memory of his life will remain with us forever,” said Geingob.

He said in the late 1970s when Konjore was elected as the vice-president of the Nama Teachers’ Association, he organised successful teacher strikes at Gibeon and became a valuable agent of resistance in the south of the country.

“He utilised his societal stature and his innate leadership ability to mobilise the community to oppose the policies and programmes of the colonial government. Comrade Konjore both in persona and through his actions, is a man deserving great praise for commitment to the country. He lived a courageous yet dignified life, served with zeal and determination and throughout his service to Namibia, exemplified the spirit of Liberty, Unity and Justice,” added the president.

Konjore was a member of the Constituent Assembly from 1989-90 and a Member of the National Assembly from 1990 to 2010. He served as deputy speaker of this body from 2000 to 2005.

Konjore is a former teacher, he was a former minister of Environment and Tourism and a former minister of Sports, Youth and National Service.

Konjore leaves behind five children.

Source: Namibia Press Agency