President Hage Geingob has described the late Matheus Shikongo as a trailblazer and a pioneer who lived a meaningful life that opened doors of success for a large number of former compatriots.
He left an admirable legacy, Geingob added on Monday during Shikongo’s memorial service held at Parliament Gardens.
Shikongo died on 13 May 2021 at Ongwediva Medipark, where he was admitted for a COVID-19 infection. He was a prominent business personality, born on 26 June 1950 and served as the mayor of Windhoek in 1993 and again from 2000 to 2010, the longest term served by a Windhoek mayor in independent Namibia.
Geingob said Shikongo’s journey of success in life did not come easy as there was no ‘silver spoon’ and only the unflattering reality of sweat and hard work, as he remained tenacious in his purpose never shunning difficulties or challenges but staying the course until he reached the upper echelons of leadership.
“Nobody could have predicted at the time, that the man employed as a foreman at Meatco in 1972 would one day become a consummate businessman and the mayor of the City of Windhoek in an independent Namibia. But that is exactly what comrade Shikongo managed to achieve. From humble beginnings, he ascended to the lofty heights of success,” said Geingob.
He added that while conducting business, Shikongo never lost sight of the liberation struggle of all Namibians from the clutches of apartheid brutality, and due to his political consciousness, he realised that his business ventures could be used as a conduit for combatants of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia to move from the northern communal areas into the commercial areas of the country.
“His activities assisting plan combatants, which included accommodating them in his house in Windhoek would eventually attract the attention of the apartheid era security agents and this would result in comrade Shikongo’s arrest. Despite the dangers present at the time, comrade Shikongo and all other Namibians fighting for the liberation of this country at home and abroad prevailed, opening the pathway towards independence,” stated Geingob.
Source: Namibia Press Agency
