Namibian President Hage Geingob.
- After undergoing colonoscopy and gastroscopy tests, doctors found cancerous cells, the Presidency said.
- President Geingob will see through his term in November despite a health scare.
- In 2023, doctors detected mild aortic stenosis – or a narrowed heart valve – without any symptoms in the president.
Namibian President Hage Geingob underwent colonoscopy and gastroscopy tests in early January as part of his annual health check, and cancerous cells were discovered.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Presidency said the tests were conducted on 8 January. It said that “on the advice of the medical team, President Geingob will undertake appropriate medical treatment to deal with the cancerous cells.”
Geingob is in his second term and will not be standing for re-election during the polls, which are expected to take place around November.
In his place, the ruling party, the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), will have Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the first woman to have a shot at the presidency in Namibia.
Geingob, despite his medical condition, is due to see his term to the end.
The Presidency said:
With Presidential and National Assembly elections programmed for the end of the year 2024, the Presidency wishes to inform the Namibian public that President Geingob will continue to carry out presidential duties alongside the Cabinet, of which he is the Chairperson.
In announcing the president’s health condition, his office said it was in line with the “conviction that transparency plus accountability equals trust.”
In 2017, the Presidency announced that during his routine medical check-up, doctors detected mild aortic stenosis, or a narrowed heart valve, without any symptoms.
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Geingob is the third president of Namibia since assuming office on 21 March 2015. He was the first Prime Minister of Namibia from 1990 to 2002 and served in the role again from 2012 to 2015. Between 2008 and 2012, Geingob served as Minister of Trade and Industry.
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