Former Speaker of the National Assembly Peter Katjavivi has noted that the United States of America has lost a leader who provided a voice to the voiceless and who campaigned vigorously for civil rights in that country.

He said that not only did Jackson fight for civil rights and liberties in the US, but he also did so for the voiceless in Africa.

Jackson, Professor Katjavivi added, was a champion of change at home and abroad and stood firmly for the independence of Namibia and the rest of southern Africa.

He described him as a torchbearer who witnessed the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and the election of President Barack Obama to the presidency, an event that touched him.

To him, it was the long road to freedom.

Katjavivi said Jackson was a transformative leader whose legacy will live on for generations to come both at home and abroad.