President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says veteran NBC camera operator Lamech Mwayangapo leaves behind a lasting record of Namibia's history through his work behind the camera.

President Nandi-Ndaitwah and First Gentleman Epaphras Ndaitwah paid a condolence visit to the Mwayangapo family in Windhoek.

For years, Lamech Mwayangapo was behind the camera, documenting Namibia in times of peace and conflict.

President Nandi-Ndaitwah says his ability to tell stories through pictures made him one of the country's distinguished camera operators.

"He has really distinguished himself as one of the best people who knows how to communicate through pictures and to communicate the right message. And that is also what contributes to Namibia being seen as one country where freedom of the press is there. Because Lamech was not selective on where to take pictures but took them as they were telling the story during peace and war."

Mwayangapo was among the journalists who covered the deployment of SADC forces to the Democratic Republic of Congo, while his work also took him to communities across Namibia.

His career also tracked the development of the NBC, where he worked with equipment that was not always considered the best or latest.

But Nandi-Ndaitwah says Mwayangapo still managed to produce images that told powerful stories.

"The legacy he's leaving is that I'm sure that young journalists and young camera people must have learned a lot from him. And also, Lamech is a compassionate person. When he suffered from cancer, he decided to be a champion in order to assist others to understand and to protect themselves. So definitely as a nation, we have lost. As a family of Lamech, we have lost. But the only way we can honour him is really to start where he is."

The death of Mwayangapo is also deeply personal for the Ndaitwah family.

First Gentleman, Epaphras Ndaitwah narrated that the relationship between the two families goes back generations, beginning with Mwayangapo's elder sister, Annascy.

She left her firstborn with the Ndaitwah family while she returned to school after independence.

The bond continued into Mwayangapo's adult life, including his wedding, where the Ndaitwah couple stood in a parental role.

"Now that Lamek has parted ways, he has now gone; we have just to remember him as a hard-working patriot. He worked so hard, and he was very prominent. Not long ago when he was on TV, narrating his story, I nearly said, "Hey, Manyangapoh, I think he has recovered. "But I never said so. But now after I picked up this sad news, I have said apparently I was just being misled the way he appears."

The late tate Lamech, as he was fondly referred to, died on August 29, aged 61, following a battle with multiple myeloma.

His legacy now lives on through the images he captured, documenting Namibia, its people and history from behind the lens.