Former Cabinet minister Ben Amathila has expressed his desire to see a statue erected of the late freedom fighter and former South African president, Nelson Mandela, at Walvis Bay.
Speaking at the 30th anniversary of the town’s reintegration on Friday, Amathila said he remembers Mandela playing a pivotal role in supporting Namibia’s efforts to gain control of Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands in 1994.
“It was not easy. This was a port that could not be liberated with arms … Patience, advice and planning gave us a step ahead of what South Africa was planning. We avoided conflict. Mandela made our task easy. When he got into power, he declared that Walvis Bay belonged to the Namibian people and signed the necessary documents,” he recalled.
The pearl celebrations, held under the theme ‘Keeping the Namibian economy alive yesterday, today and tomorrow, were postponed last year due to Namibia mourning the death of former president Hage Geingob.
An amount of about N$130 000 was raised in pledges and auctions at a gala dinner on Friday, which will be used as part of celebration activities this year, including erecting monuments to Nathaniel Maxuilili, former president Nangolo Mbumba and Gertrude Kandanga
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