OLUKEKETE – President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says the best way to honour the fallen heroes and heroines of the liberation struggle is for Namibians to work together in unity for the country’s socio-economic development.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said this during the Cassinga Day commemoration at Olukekete village in the Omusati Region yesterday.

“As our Founding President would remind us, ‘A people united, striving to achieve a common good for all members of society, will always emerge victorious’,” she said.

The President noted that since independence in 1990, the Swapo Party-led government has prioritised initiatives, programmes and interventions aimed at improving the living standards of all Namibians and driving sustainable development.

On 4 May 1978, the Cassinga refugee camp in southern Angola, which housed hundreds of Namibian refugees, was attacked by the South African Defence Force during Namibia’s liberation struggle.

The camp, home to thousands of refugees, many of them women and children, was heavily bombed before a ground assault followed. More than 600 people reportedly lost their lives, while many others were injured.

Cassinga survivors, political leaders, community members and veterans of the liberation struggle attended the commemoration in large numbers to honour those who died during the attack.

The event was also attended by Sergio Vigoa de la Uz, Ambassador of Cuba, and André Ventura, Consul General of Angola in Oshakati. Cuba and Angola played a big role in the fight of liberation struggle of Namibia, by housing, providing manpower and weapons, humanitarian assistance and education among others.

This year’s commemoration was held under the theme: “48 Years of Honour and Sacrifice Inspiring the Future.”

Under the theme, Nandi-Ndaitwah said Namibia honours the victims of the Cassinga massacre while turning their sacrifice into a call to defend the country’s hard-won independence and natural resources for the benefit of current and future generations.

The President said it was fitting that the commemoration was held in Omusati Region, the birthplace of Founding President Sam Nujoma.

“President Nujoma’s name became synonymous with the national liberation struggle. It became the compass that united the brave sons and daughters of the motherland in pursuit of an independent Namibia,” she said.

Nandi-Ndaitwah said the Cassinga attack was intended to break the spirit of Namibians fighting for independence.

“Instead, it strengthened our resolve to fight with determination to liberate our motherland,” she added.

She said the attack also exposed to the United Nations and the international community the cruelty and brutality inflicted on Namibians by the South African colonial regime.

“Their actions reinforced our call for self-determination and sovereignty, advancing our cause on the global diplomatic stage,” she said.

The President also paid tribute to Cassinga survivors who continue to carry painful memories of the attack.

“They sacrificed their youth and endured a painful chapter in Namibia’s struggle for freedom and independence. The physical and psychological scars remain deep, but we chose the path of national reconciliation at independence,” she said.

She added that reconciliation helped Namibia heal the wounds of the past and move forward with nation-building.

“Our long and bitter struggle for independence was fought by Namibians from all corners of the country. They joined hands in unity of purpose to liberate our motherland,” she said.

Meanwhile, Nandi-Ndaitwah yesterday laid a wreath at the Outapi Plan Fighters’ Mass Grave Site, where 27 heroes and heroines are buried.

Speaking on behalf of Cassinga survivors, Ignatius Mwanyekange said 4 May remains one of the darkest days in Namibia’s history.

“We vividly remember the massacre as if it happened today. Cassinga was turned into a workshop of death by South African soldiers,” he said.

He described the attack as barbaric and traumatic.

“Many compatriots who survived the massacre still carry permanent scars. Time may have passed, but the pain remains for life,” he stressed.

Mwanyekange said Cassinga Day reminds Namibians that freedom came at a great cost.

“If you want to know the price of freedom, go to Heroes’ Acre. Go to Cassinga and look at the mass graves of our fallen heroes and heroines,” he said.

She urged survivors to continue sharing first-hand accounts of the tragedy with younger generations to preserve the true history of Cassinga.

-fhamalwa@nepc.com.na