President Salva Kiir has conveyed his “deep” condolences to the Namibian people upon the death of their leader President Hage Geingnob on Sunday.

Mr. Geingob, who was serving his second term as president, died early Sunday in a hospital in the Namibian capital Windhoek, at the age of 82, his office said in a statement.

Hours after his death, Namibia’s vice president Nangolo Mbumba was inaugurated as the country’s new president.

In a press statement, Lily Adhieu Martin, the Presidential Press Secretary said the president has “learned with sadness the untimely passing” of H.E. Hage Geingob, and sends his condolences.

“On behalf of the people and Government of South Sudan and by extension the leadership of the East African Community (EAC), President Kiir sends his deepest condolences to the people and Government of Namibia on the sudden passing of their leader,” said Ms. Adhieu.

President Kiir describes Geingob as a true statesman, whose demise has robbed Africa of a pan-African icon and one of the most influential anti-colonial liberation heroes, the statement reads further.

“H.E. Kiir believes that not only is Geingob’s death a big loss to the great people of Namibia but also to the African continent and all those whose lives he touched while in office.”

Geingob’s office said a biopsy following a routine medical check-up in January had revealed “cancerous cells,” according to AFP.

First elected president in 2014, Geingob was Namibia’s longest serving prime minister and third president.

In 2013, Geingob underwent brain surgery, and last year he underwent an aortic operation in neighbouring South Africa.

Up until his death, he had been receiving treatment at Lady Pohamba Hospital in Windhoek.