The "Great Lion" and former Robben Island political prisoner, Lazarus !Guiteb died yesterday, aged 82. 

A descendant of the Hai ||Om people, !Guiteb earned himself the nickname "Great Lion" because of his dedication to Namibia's liberation struggle.

He was a trained PLAN commissar and a Robben Island prisoner, where he spent nine years.

The Otjozondjupa Governor John ||Khamuseb described the late !Guiteb as a man who sacrificed his life for the country's independence.

"He was the first, one of the first Hai||om people that joined the liberation struggle; for us, he is a symbol of absolute bravery. He joined the PLAN, the People's Liberation Army, so he was a commissar of the liberation struggle, and at the same time, he ended up at the notorious Robben Island, but he survived even Robben Island, and he was repatriated into exile and came back."

The governor who visited the late's house was joined by the Otjiwarongo Constituency Councillor Paulus Nekundi and the Swapo Party's Regional Coordinator Imms Namaseb. 

Details of the memorial and funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.