Angola Reaffirms Commitment to Cassinga Memorial Completion

Lubango:Huíla Province: Angolan Minister of National Defence, Former Combatants and Veterans of the Homeland, Lúcio Amaral, has reaffirmed Angola's dedication to completing the Cassinga Memorial, in cooperation with Namibia. According to Angola Press News Agency, the Cassinga Memorial Park, spanning 26 hectares in Jamba Mineira, is a result of a 2017 agreement between Angola and Namibia to preserve their shared liberation history and promote cultural heritage across borders. The park commemorates victims of the massacre by South Africa's apartheid regime on May 4, 1978. During a High-Level Meeting reviewing the Joint Technical Committee's report, Amaral emphasized the importance of remembering Angolan and Namibian compatriots beyond this specific investment, highlighting the need to focus on other historically significant locations, such as Malanje and Bengo provinces. Amaral pointed out the sacrifices of past generations, which have brought peace to Southern Africa, linking it to the broader goals of deve lopment in the region. The initiative aims to protect both the physical site and the associated historical documents, photographs, and testimonies for accurate study and presentation. The work on the memorial follows inspection visits and technical meetings, leading to the current High-Level Meeting in Lubango to finalize the project. This effort symbolizes the strong ties between Angola and Namibia. Namibia's Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Frans Kapofi, mentioned that the project is 99% complete after overcoming various challenges. He urged engineering teams to finalize remaining tasks swiftly and stressed the importance of verifying and safeguarding the names engraved on the memorial plaques. The project has seen nine technical visits and three high-level reviews to date.