Placido Hilukilwa
“THIS Heroes’ Day is your day,” said President Nangolo Mbumba, addressing specifically the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle in his keynote speech during the central commemorative event at Omuthiya in the Oshikoto Region on Monday. His words attracted applause and shouts of joyous approval from the sizeable crowd, especially from the veterans, who attended the event in large numbers.
“On this significant day,” President Mbumba said, “we have gathered to pay tribute to and salute those gallant sons and daughters who fought in Namibia’s struggle for independence… these are the Heroes and Heroines of the Land of the Brave, who have eternally etched their names in the annals of our history.”
According to the President, Namibians, as a free nation, have a patriotic duty to remember those brave men and women who sacrificed greatly for their freedom. “We should never forget those who ensured that we replaced colonial oppression with democracy, that we replaced forced labour with workers’ rights, and racial hatred with reconciliation and nation-building,” he said.
President Mbumba said that Heroes’ Day, which commemorates the first armed confrontation between colonial forces and Swapo’s People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) at Omugulugwombashe village in the Omusati Region on August 26, 1966, is both a celebration and a commemoration of the day when Namibian freedom fighters crossed the point of no return in the fight for independence and freedom.
“On this August 26, let us commemorate our struggle for independence and celebrate our sovereignty, reminding ourselves that our freedom did not come on a silver platter. We honour those who defended their motherland by choosing to fight, risking their lives, and in many instances paying the ultimate price for our freedom; we honour those who suffered imprisonment and torture on Robben Island and other prisons under the brutal Apartheid South African regime; we honour those who had to leave their loved ones and homes to go into exile for better education and to fight for a free Namibia; we honour the masses of our compatriots who remained on the home front and faced the brutality of Apartheid. This includes our workers, students, teachers, nurses, doctors, church leaders, and the wider community,” he said, adding that Namibians also honour national leaders such as the Founding President Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, the second President Hifikepunye Pohamba, and the third and late President Hage Geingob.
Captions:
PICTURED: General (retired) Charles Namoloh, Chris Jacobie, and General (retired) Martin Shalli pictured during the Heroes’ Day commemoration at Omuthiya. During the late 1970s, they confronted one another as foes on the Angolan battlefields, but now they meet as reconciled Namibians.
PICTURED: The commemoration of Heroes’ Day at Omuthiya town in the Oshikoto Region brought together those who fought on opposing sides, now united as Namibians in the spirit of the Policy of National Reconciliation. Here, former PLAN combatant and retired NDF sergeant Kambode is pictured with Chris Jacobie, who is wearing a suit jacket with a paratrooper’s insignia.
PICTURED: Trustco Group’s Chris Jacobie meets and greets Councillor Joseph Mupetani of the Okatjali constituency in the Oshana Region.
