Cassinga survivors march on

MAGGY THOMASTHE annual commemoration of Cassinga Day was very different this year.

The day, honoured on 4 May annually, saw no central gathering, leaving Namibians to remember the day in isolation.

Large gatherings have been prohibited since president Hage Geingob declared a state of emergency in March.

For survivors, this was hard to swallow.

The Cassinga massacre took place on 4 May 1978, when South African Defence Force (SADF) planes flew over the Swapo refugee camp at Cassinga, in southern Angola, and dropped bombs – destroying infrastructure and killing close to 600 Namibians.

Most of the deceased were women and children who were accommodated at the transit camp. Some 400 people were wounded.

Every year, survivors of the Cassinga attack gather and light candles to pay their respects to those who died, while singing songs of the liberation struggle.

This year, however, survivors had to commemorate the day at home with family members.

“It is heartbreaking to observe Cassinga Day with only family members. It is a sad day, and we are commemorating it in isolation after the world has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic. We cannot do it in groups as we are following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines aimed to contain the virus,” Ignatius Mwanyekange, one of the survivors, told Nampa at his house in Wanaheda.

“As we commemorate 42 years of Cassinga Day, let’s take our caps off to honour the departed heroes who lit the path for us. Let’s observe a minute of silence wherever we are to recognise those who lost their lives on this day,” said Mwanyekange yesterday.

“We have another enemy – Covid-19. By today, we hoped to be in Cassinga to lay wreaths for our fallen heroes, but because of the virus, we are unable to travel,” he said.

“The more years pass by, the more painful it becomes,” he said.

Another survivor, Asteria Shiimi, wept uncontrollably when Nampa met her at her house in Freedomland.

She recounted her ordeal on that fateful day, saying she cries year in year out as she remembers the Cassinga massacre.

She said she found some peace when she travelled to Cassinga in 2016.

There she and a group of survivors visited the graves of people killed on the day.

“I wish I could travel this year too to just take the departed comrades flowers. I lost family members there, I left my friends dead in Cassinga and lost my peace forever,” she said.

Shiimi, who turned 60 yesterday, sustained injuries to her leg and eye at Cassinga.

“The Cassinga massacre left me emotionally traumatised and with physical scars,” she said.

“How am I going to get out of this? There is no healing after such a horrific experience. I think I will live with this forever,” she said.

Elise Hishongwa, another survivor, called on all Namibians to comply with lockdown measures to save lives.

“If you go out, you may have survived Cassinga, but you may die of Covid-19. We have to save lives. Let’s commemorate Cassinga Day in isolation,” she said.

Hishongwa encourages young people to learn about the country’s history and to preserve it for future generations.

She called on parents to teach their children the importance of Cassinga Day in Namibia’s history.

Indileni Hamutengela was nine years old when Cassinga was attacked.

Every year on 4 May she wakes up around 07h00 remembering black smoke covering the camp, the sounds of gunfire and seeing lifeless bodies scattered around, she said.

Most of the Cassinga survivors were flown to the Island of Youth, the second-largest Cuban island, immediately after the attack, follwing founding father Sam Nujoma’s request.

As the survivors reflected on the loss of their comrades on that fateful day, all was not lost.

On 21 March 1990, they witnessed the Namibian flag being hoisted for the first time, recognising the country as a sovereign nation.

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