Oshakati bomb blast remembered

A MEMORIAL service was held yesterday at the site where close to 30 people, mainly nurses from the Oshakati State Hospital and bank staff, were killed or maimed when a massive bomb went off in the then Barclay’s Bank during lunchtime on February 19 1988.

Yesterday was the 19th anniversary of the horrific event. Speakers at the memorial service included the former Mayor of Ondangwa, Otto Kapia, First National Bank Area Manager Josef Shivute, Reverend Josef Avia and Former Elcin Bishop Kleopas Dumeni.They called on the survivors and families of those killed to hold high the spirit of reconciliation at all times and to remember that those who died had sacrificed their blood for freedom and democracy.Standing alongside the memorial on which the names of the victims are engraved, Shivute said Namibians should be bold enough to use the occasion as a unifying factor within the spirit of national reconciliation.”We should therefore embrace one another as a united nation by building on the common values that we share and our cultural diversity to ensure a better and safe future for our generation,” Shivute said.”This day is a day which should unite us in all aspects of human engagement and should not be seen as a day of bad memories.it’s therefore my firm belief that we shall exhibit renewed strength at every stage of our life when we are faced with such calamities.”Speakers at the memorial service included the former Mayor of Ondangwa, Otto Kapia, First National Bank Area Manager Josef Shivute, Reverend Josef Avia and Former Elcin Bishop Kleopas Dumeni.They called on the survivors and families of those killed to hold high the spirit of reconciliation at all times and to remember that those who died had sacrificed their blood for freedom and democracy.Standing alongside the memorial on which the names of the victims are engraved, Shivute said Namibians should be bold enough to use the occasion as a unifying factor within the spirit of national reconciliation.”We should therefore embrace one another as a united nation by building on the common values that we share and our cultural diversity to ensure a better and safe future for our generation,” Shivute said.”This day is a day which should unite us in all aspects of human engagement and should not be seen as a day of bad memories.it’s therefore my firm belief that we shall exhibit renewed strength at every stage of our life when we are faced with such calamities.”