Survivors of the attacks on the Cassinga and Vietnam camps in Angola said the late founding president Sam Nujoma has left a legacy that is difficult to match.
The Cassinga and Vietnam Survivors Committee in a statement said Nujoma was played a pivotal role in Namibia’s liberation and independence.
“The passing of comrade Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma marks the end of an epoch … He will always be remembered in Namibia’s history as a great patriot, revolutionary, fearless freedom fighter and a unifying leader,” they said.
The committee praised Nujoma’s resilience and leadership during the colonial and apartheid period, saying his moral force, resilience and leadership helped Namibia gain freedom and dignity and take its place in the world as a free, independent and sovereign nation.
They further said as founding president of Namibia, Nujoma was a pillar of national unity, nation-building, economic development and the welfare of the Namibian people.
“For us survivors of the Cassinga massacre barbarically committed by the colonial apartheid regime of South Africa … comrade Nujoma left us with fond memories of a caring leader. He not only made sure that our wounded compatriots received the required medical treatment, but he also personally visited them at the hospitals in Angola and other countries.
“Comrade Nujoma also made sure that many children who survived the Cassinga massacre were sent by Swapo to study in friendly countries, such as Cuba and the German Democratic Republic at the time,” the statement said.
Nujoma died on 8 February at the
age of 95.
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