Hundreds of mourners gathered at Elcin's Hosianna Parish in Windhoek to celebrate the life of the late Christopher Nakanyala, who was a police attaché to South Africa.

Commissioner Nakanyala, who died in Pretoria last week, served on Namibian delegations to numerous Joint Commissions of Defense and Security, the Namibian contingent to a number of SADC Election Observation Missions, and he was part of the Namibian Police contingent that formed part of the SADC Preventive Mission in the Kingdom of Lesotho.

Mourners described the late Commissioner as a man of great influence and respect, who served diligently as a member of the Police Force since March 1990, upon which he rose through the ranks to become a seasoned and accomplished Commissioner of note.

"During his 23 years of service in the Namibian Police Force, Commissioner Nakanyala made a huge contribution to the successful transformation of our organization from the former South West African Police (SWAPOL) to the independent Namibian Police Force," said Major General Anne Marie Nainda, NamPol's Deputy Inspector for General Administration, describing Nakanyala's time in the force.

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, in a speech read on her behalf, said the nation is celebrating the life of an outstanding patriot who devoted his adult life to a cause for the betterment of the lives of fellow Nambians.

She added that Commissioner Nakanyala served Namibia and its people before and after independence with a profound sense of dedication.

Former PLAN combatants' associations sang in his honor.

The late Nakanyala is survived by six children.

The next memorial service will be held on the 24th of March at Oniiwe, while the burial is scheduled to take place on the 25th.