Children of the late Ngarikutuke Tjiriange remembered their father as a great Statesman and a devoted father with noble character.

These heartfelt portrayals poured in as Tjiriange’s children, family and comrades paid tribute here Wednesday during Tjiriange’s memorial service held at Parliament Gardens.

The former member of Parliament, former secretary-general of Swapo and former Cabinet minister died on 23 June 2021 aged 77.

In their tribute read by one of Tjiriange’s 10 children, Fenny Tjiriange, the late politician’s children eulogised him as a man who was greatly passionate about serving his country and dedicating his abilities to the progression of the Namibian nation especially in the legal fraternity.

“We are thankful for him having graced our lives and the legacy he has left. He was a longstanding comrade who devoted and dedicated himself fearlessly during our country’s liberation struggle and after independence. He gave and sacrificed himself and his time profoundly for Namibia and Swapo,” she said.

She added saying, to the world their father was known as Dr Ngarikutuke Tjiriange, the politician, the Statesman and the advisor among others but they knew him as dad; a father of noble character who always wanted them to be united as a family.

“There is a vacuum left by our father and we now have to make ourselves one with the fact that he will not be taking part with anything we do under the sun. He was a very caring father. He would tell us, ‘don’t do what I do, do as I say’ because he did not want us repeating the mistakes that he had already made,” she added.

Recollecting how they met leading to their 41 years of marriage, Juliana Tjiriange, wife of the late politician recalled her late husband as a God-fearing man and a loving husband who loved Swapo wholeheartedly.

“I have lost a comrade, a brother, a father, a companion and the love of my heart,” she said.

Tjiriange will be buried on Thursday at Heroes’ Acre.

Source: Namibia Press Agency