Placido Hilukilwa
A SPANISH court has this week decided to hand over the remains of former Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who died in a private hospital in Barcelona last month, to the widow Ana Paula dos Santos.
But one of his daughters, Tchize, has appealed the decision disputing the court’s jurisdiction.
The dispute over Dos Santos’ body started immediately after the Angolan statesman passed on the July 8.
His body was claimed by Ana Paula, who abandoned her husband almost five years ago and who only reunited with him in Barcelona a few months ago. It was also claimed by at least four of Dos Santos’ older children who cared for him, in Barcelona, in the absence of his estranged wife. They wanted him buried in Spain, but the widow and her children sided with the Angolan government that wants to give Dos Santos a dignified burial in Luanda.
Dos Santos is best remembered by Namibians for his unwavering support of Namibia’s liberation struggle.
The University of Namibia’s Faculty of Engineering at Ongwediva is named after Dos Santos who was himself a qualified fuels engineer.
