Placido Hilukilwa
A NEW memorial stone erected at the burial site of some of the Ondonga warriors who fell in combat against German soldiers at Namutoni 118 years ago, will be unveiled this weekend.
The unveiling forms part of a two-day commemorative event that starts at Onayena on Friday and ends the next day at Fort Namutoni in the Etosha National Park.
The spokesperson on the Ondonga Traditional Authority (OTA), Frans Enkali, said that Omukwaniilwa Fillemon Shuumbwa Nangolo and his senior and junior traditional councillors, as well as a limited number of community members and invited guests, will congregate at King Nehale Lya Mpingana’s grave at Onayena on Friday before moving to encamp at Omadhiya, following plus minus the same route followed by the Ondonga warriors who went to attack the Namutuni Fort on 28 January 1904.
According to ‘Discover The Colourful World of Owambo’, the 368-page book authored by Willie Olivier and available at selected bookstores and Gondwana Lodges, the fort was manned by four German soldiers that were joined by three German farmers who sought refuge in the fort with their animals. The attackers numbered between 350 and 500 armed and unarmed warriors.
The armed warriors was tasked to storm the fort while the unarmed group drove off the cattle and horses.
The Aandonga fighters retreated after about four hours of battle and the defenders used the respite and the cover of darkness to slip away.
The warriors regrouped and returned the next morning, ransacked it and burned it down.
A commemorative plate erected at the site and unveiled by Founding President Sam Nujoma in 1996 reveals that 68 warriors died during the battle, 40 went missing and are presumed dead while 20 others were wounded but managed to return home.
The new memorial stone will be unveiled on Saturday.
Enkali said that invitations were sent out to top government and traditional leaders. Some have already confirmed their attendance. He pointed out that the number of people will be strictly limited to that allowable under current COVID-19 regulations.
