Oshakati bombing was army revenge – Zaaruka

Northern-based businessman Ben Zaaruka says the victims of the bombing at the former Barclays Bank at Oshakati were killed as an act of revenge by the South African army at the time.

Zaaruka, a survivor of the deadly bomb blast, says the victims died as freedom fighters and did not deserve to be killed in such a manner.

He says the Barclays Bank (now First National Bank) bomb blast was orchestrated by the then South African government, as the Koevoet sought to terrorise Namibians and kill them deliberately.

Zaaruka made these remarks during the commemoration of the anniversary of the Oshakati Barclays Bank bomb blast, held at Ongwediva on Sunday. The Oshakati bomb blast on 19 February 1988 at the then Barclays Bank killed 27 people and injured 70 others.

The perpetrators were never identified or convicted, with the South African police and Swapo blaming each other for the bombing.

“I was called by doctor Dumeni from the hospital. He was saying that the victims needed to be buried. We could not wait for the government to bury them because they were killed by the government.

“On that day, the police took more than an hour to arrive at the crime scene and later that evening they switched off the electricity of the whole town. One can see that this thing was pure revenge and intentional. The South African army wanted to terrorise Namibians,” he said.

Zaaruka, whose fiancée died days after the attack from her injuries, said he remembers her telling him about a man dropping a briefcase in the bank moments before the explosion.

“My fiancée, who was sitting in the bank, was badly injured and could not talk for days. She told me she saw a white man dropping his briefcase in the bank before the deadly explosion, and she tried to run after him, but unfortunately the bomb exploded. I am lucky to have survived the blast because it happened just before I could enter the bank. I don’t know what saved me from the explosion, but maybe it was all because of God,” he said.

Former president Hifikepunye Pohamba believes the attack was politically motivated, aimed at causing fear and confusion among Namibians.

The bombing is remembered annually, with president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah reaffirming that the victims will never be forgotten.

A tombstone was erected in their honour, and survivors have called for meaningful steps towards fair compensation.

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