Vice-President Lucia Witbooi and Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare paid homage to the bereaved family of the late liberation struggle veteran Emeritus Dean Stephanus Tiboth in Keetmanshoop.

Tiboth died on Monday at the age of 80.

During a prayer service, Vice-President Witbooi described Tiboth as a loving individual and recited a Bible verse to comfort the family.

"He completed the race, he has done what he could for us in all spheres of religion, tradition, community and politics. Therefore reflect Ecclesiastes 3, and accept it's his time to depart," she said.

Prime Minister Ngurare called Tiboth’s death a great loss to the nation.

"You can get comfort from the family of the late, family in the political space, family in the church, family in the traditional space. They will continue to multiply prayers so that you can be consoled and be comforted. To the children, it is not easy, but please be comforted, please be consoled. The greatest consolation is for you to walk in his footsteps that he has left. Even if he is not in the physical form, his voice will be always," Ngurare said.

Tiboth served in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia for 53 years. He was a founding member of the Ecumenical Private School in Berseba and a former Swapo Party regional coordinator for the Hardap Region.

He is remembered as a staunch anti-apartheid leader who helped recruit Nama people into Swapo and for leading unity talks in 2010 between the Isaak and Goliath families of the |Hai-|Khaua clan.