ONGWEDIVA – The National Heritage Council of Namibia is in Oshakati to solicit views on suggestions to declare Oniimwandi Military, a former Koevoet base in Oshakati East a war museum.
There is also a call to declare the mass grave in Oshakati where many former PLAN combatants killed by South Africans in 1989 were buried to be made a national shrine.
The call was made by the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Chief Samuel Ankama through a submission to the National Heritage Council of Namibia.
The first consultation for the two sites to be recognised and enshrined into the register of the national heritage was held at Oshakati on Thursday.
Former PLAN fighters also attended the meeting and community members who were detained at the military base as well as community members whose families were either detained or were buried at the Uupindi mass grave.
The meeting at Oshakati Town Council was followed by a visit to the military base where emotional former detainees also shared their stories and thereafter also made a stop at the mass grave.
Highlighting the significance of the two sites, Ankama said the former Koevoet base is where many Namibians were detained without trial, tortured or killed among other atrocities while the mass grave signifies self-sacrifice and a sign of Namibian bravery.
“History will judge us if we let go, forget accounts of our liberation struggle, forget all those who upheld the principles of SWAPO as a liberation movement…” Ankama said further.
The deputy minster appealed to Namibians with information on the two sites to come forth and share information with the National Heritage team.
He also appealed to artists to also come on board to write and carve benefiting monuments and print materials in honour of the fallen heroes and heroines.
Oshana Governor Clemens Kashuupulwa appealed to residents to identify other important sites in the region.
He also appealed for anyone with information that can lead to the possible identification of the soldiers who were tortured at the base to come forth with such information.
The governor requested for the possible identification of the names of the people who were buried at the mass grave.