Heroes’ Acre air conditioning for visitors, not graves – manager

Heroes’ Acre site manager Helena Nengola says the air conditioning installed in the presidential mausoleums at the national shrine is intended for visitors paying homage to the former presidents.

Nengola on Monday said visitors at the shrine often query about the installation of air conditioners and charging sockets in the mausoleums of founding president Sam Nujoma and former president Hage Geingob.

“Some members of the public are complaining about the air conditioning and the plugs. Why do we have the air conditioner there? When you are visiting the grave, there are no windows and there is no air. We put the fans in there so that if our visitors are visiting the grave, they won’t suffocate,” she said.

“And why do we have plugs? When we develop our sites, we would love our people, you know, to read on their own. We will have technology there where we just plug in the history of Sam Nujoma or Hage Geingob. That’s why we have those kinds of facilities inside. That has nothing to do with the grave itself,” Nengola explained.

Nengola, who hosted members of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum executive committee, expressed her delight at the increasing number of visitors to the national shrine outside Windhoek.

“Most of our people are visiting the site. Students, secondary schools, primary schools, university students, we have a lot of people who are acknowledging the site now. We don’t have a problem. In the beginning, it was difficult, but these days, our people are visiting the site every time, because Heroes’ Acre is open to anyone,” she said.

The site manager said August and September are the busiest months during which they host school tours and international visitors at the burial site of national heroes and heroines.

“The people from other countries are also visiting us, especially from Germany and other African countries,” Nengola said.

The National Heritage Council manages Heroes’ Acre and many other heritage sites in Namibia.

Nengola also encouraged the public to use the restaurant at Heroes’ Acre.

“We have a restaurant there which is open to any activity. If you have an end-of-the-year function or maybe a wedding, or any event, you can host your event at our restaurant. It’s open to the community from Monday to Sunday,” she said.

Meanwhile, Nengola urged the public to be patient regarding visits to Nujoma’s grave, stating that it is not yet open to the public.

She stated that the heritage council is awaiting communication from the government regarding the inauguration of Nujoma’s grave. Members of the public can visit president Geingob’s grave and are permitted to take photos inside the mausoleum.

– NAMPA