Geingob recalls how he narrowly escaped death at Cassinga

President Hage Geingob shared a harrowing account of how he narrowly escaped death in the Cassinga massacre of 1978.

He revealed this in his Cassinga Day statement.

Geingob said he was prevented from making the journey to the Cassinga refugee camp by a nurse known as Dr Shinyafa.

At the time and had been ordered by the Swapo leader, Sam Nujoma, to receive military training at the Cassinga Training Centre in Angola.

“One comrade, a nurse that we called Dr Shinyafa, arrived with a truck but refused to take me to Cassinga. He said it was too late and that travelling at night was unsafe. I protested vehemently, but Dr Shinyafa stood his ground and refused to take me. I was furious. Only a few days after this incident, Cassinga was attacked and I realised that the refusal of comrade Shinyafa saved my life,” said Geingob.

The brutal attack on the Swapo refugee camp by the South African Defence Force resulted in the deaths of over 600 people, mostly women and children.

Geingob in his statement paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the attack, saying their sacrifice would never be forgotten.

“Today, many of us not only deeply appreciate the depth and height of the sacrifices that our fallen heroes and heroines have made, but we also understand the need to maintain the peace, unity and freedom that their sacrifices brought for us as Namibians,” he said.