Born on a farm near Otavi, the late President Hage Geingob was raised in Otjiwarongo, in what is today known as the Orwetoveni location, where his childhood friends described him as a positive and loving person.

Although most of his childhood friends have passed on in Otjiwarongo, those still alive say they remember him as a good football player.

They also remember going to Geingob's family house, where they would have their lunch prepared by Ouma Hendrina, the woman who raised Geingob.

In those days, Elsie !Naibas narrates, they all lived like one family, as Geingob loved everyone.

"He was a person for everyone, a loving person who everyone spoke of very highly. They were four siblings, and he was the eldest. All the others have passed on, even the last born. He was the only one left, but he has also passed on now, and this hit us hard."

Memories are now all they have left, but !Naibas says she is cheerful, as these are all positive.

"All his good deeds from his beginning until this time will never be forgotten. We are holding on to all the good he did for us. And we are praying for his wife to have strength, as we also love her. May she hold on to God's promises."

Another childhood friend, 85-year-old Johannes Sakaria, says, although he is too old to remember much, news of Geingob's passing, as announced in church, pained him.

"He was our president, who protected us from bad things happening to us and brought us goodness. Now that he is no longer around, we don't know what to do."

He described Geingob as a president who brought everyone together.

"He was our president, uniting us. He didn't like anything bad; he liked the good. He taught us unity. Now that he has left us, we don't know where to go."

Vistorine Sakaria says they became family with the late president after his sister married into their family.

"We were really one, because we had two kids from his sister. I don't remember the years because I was 27 when I got married. That's how I remember our son being involved with Hage's sister by then."

She says news of his death came as a shock early on Sunday morning.

Sakaria says the late president also used to provide for them.

That is in the past now, and they will dearly miss him, she says.

Other friends and extended family approached for comment but declined, noting that they are still processing the news of the president's death.