Hausiku’s work in marginalised communities hailed
Former Deputy Prime Minister Marco Hausiku, who died on Heroes Day, has been praised for his development agenda to improve the lives of marginalised communities in Namibia.
President Hage Geingob also described him as a dependable freedom fighter and disciplined servant of the Namibian people and the Swapo party, whose death is devastating for the nation.
Hausiku was the serving deputy secretary general of Swapo at the time of his death.
Having served in several ministerial capacities since independence, Hausiku was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2010, and Deputy Prime Minister from 2010 to 2014.
Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua, who worked closely with the then Deputy Prime Minister responsible for the marginalised communities' socioeconomic integration programme, said Hausiku's firm position and development agenda was to ensure that all marginalised communities are transformed into productive citizens of their motherland.
“Furthermore, he ensured that all marginalised communities are integrated in the socioeconomic mainstream through strong educational support at all levels. As a teacher himself, he would at times go to schools and engage learners, teachers and parents on the importance of education, and encourage them to start and finish school without dropping out.
“This effort resulted in an increased number of graduates fromthemarginalisedcommunities aswellasparents'participationinthe education matters of their children. He strongly advocated for school infrastructural development, and a lot of people from the marginalised communities benefited out of this drive,” Uerikua noted.
Swapo's executive director Austin Samupwa described Hausiku as a stalwart of the liberation struggle, saying he waged a difficult war inside Namibia with other compatriots.
According to him, the politician served Swapo and its government with distinction.
Samupwa said the deceased was a formidable and brave leader who withstood torture, imprisonment and humiliation by the South African regime of the time, but never gave up.
“In this era where honest men
and women are rare, comrade Hausiku stood out as a fearless voice of reason. Swapo will surely miss his thoughtfulness, courage, honesty and wit. A giant has indeed fallen,” he added.
Swapo party school lecturer Charles Mubita said “the demise of Hausiku (we jokingly called each other Mukuru Hompa - senior chief/king) hit me hard and left me speechless for a long while.
Reality took long to sink in, even though he was hospitalised for a long time.”
To Mubita, Hausiku was not only a good father to his children, but was a true definition of a national leader, an inspiration to many, a mentor, a humble servant, an indefatigable visionary and indeed a disciplined cadre of the party who believed in the supremacy of inner-party constitutional democracy.
Mubita emphasised that he understood and respected the legal instruments of the party and urged all members, particularly Swapo party school students, to be disciplined and exemplary by being true to the tenets and provisions of the party's legal instruments.
“He was a living symbol of what
Swapo stands for - the unity of the Namibian people. He was selfless and never saw positions as a means of stature but an opportunity to serve.”
Veteran politician Pendukeni Ivula-Ithana said although she didn't know Hausiku personally until independence, he was steadfast before and after the liberation struggle.
“He laughed a lot and heartily. I didn't see him angry, although every human being can be angered or be angry,” she narrated.
He was also described as a good listener.
Mubita said he despised being glorified, but rather encouraged people to be honest and fearless when expressing their opinions.
“He never judged or jumped to conclusions before applying his mind to the issues at hand. He accommodated criticism without being offended. He welcomed suggestions, and studied them before pronouncing himself. He was not quick to criticise. He believed in consultation in order to arrive at a well-thought-out outcome that would not backfire.”