Former Plan fighters hold reunion

Former members of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia’s 8th Battalion held a reunion for the first time in more than 40 years on Saturday.

The reunion took place at Ondingwanyama, a village in the Ohangwena region, where more than 50 former combatants gathered at the homestead of their former commander brigadier Ernos Hakuna.

The 8th Battalion had about 500 soldiers and operated mainly along the military front of the Cunene province of Angola.

In attendance at the reunion were liberation struggle veterans such as former Namibian Defence Force chief lieutenant general Epaphras Denga Ndaitwah and brigadier general Mathias Shiwedha.

“This reunion is aimed at meeting and reuniting with fellow surviving freedom fighters and their commanders. We also remembered those who died in the battles as we fought to liberate our country, said Hakuna.

“This was a very emotional event for me,” said former Plan fighter Willbard Hellao.

“We have not seen each other in years, so imagine the emotions. We didn’t even recognise each other at first because it has been years. We were very young back then, our features have since changed, but once we recognised one another, everything became emotional, but it was good moments because we talked, laughed and joked around,” Hellao said.

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