Nangolo Mbumba is the new Namibia president, following death of his predecessor

Hage Geingob, 82, died early on Sunday while receiving medical treatment at a hospital in the capital, Windhoek.

A veteran of the country’s independence struggle, Geingob had been diagnosed with cancer and revealed the details to the public last month.

The nation had lost a “liberation… icon”, Mbumba said.

He has since been sworn-in as Geingob’s replacement and will serve in the role until elections due later this year.

“I am not going to be around for the elections so don’t panic,” he said at a swiftly arranged swearing-in ceremony at state house, just 15 hours after the death of the president.

Paying tribute to his predecessor, he said “our nation remains calm and stable owing to the leadership of President Geingob who was the chief architect of the constitution.”

“I take on this heavy mantle cognisant of the weight of responsibility.”

Geingob was first sworn-in as president in 2015, but had served in top political positions since independence in 1990.

The exact cause of his death was not given but last month he underwent “a two-day novel treatment for cancerous cells” in the US before flying back home on 31 January, his office had said.

On Namibian radio, people have been sharing memories of someone they described as a visionary as well as a jovial man, who was able to share a joke.

Leaders from around the world have been sending condolence messages with many talking about Geingob’s efforts to ensure his country’s freedom.