Second Cassinga excursion plannedThe excursion to Cassinga and Vietnam is being funded by the participants themselves Organisers want it to become an annual trip 0 Cassinga attack survivors and mourners are invited to part take in the second excursion to the sites in southern Angola where hundreds of Namibian men, women and children were massacred by South African troops. This year about 300 Cassinga survivors returned to the site for the first time since 4 May 1978 to commemorate Cassinga Day.
The chairperson of the Cassinga Survivors Committee, Ignatius Mwanyekange, told Namibian Sun that the plan for a second excursion derived from several meetings held with members recently.
“We call on all Namibians to join us on the trip as no Namibian should feel left out,” he said.
Mwanyekange said the excursion to the sites will become an annual trip.
He said the reason why the planning is done about nine months before the event is because of the challenges experienced when arranging the first excursion.
Mwanyekange said there were people who complained that they had not been informed about the trip.
“This time around we want better planning and avoid last-minute arrangements and also to give the correct information to the Namibian and Angolan authorities to make the excursion possible again,” he said.
The excursion to Cassinga and Vietnam is being funded by the participants themselves and Mwanyekange said every participant will have to pay N$3 375 by the end of March 2017.
The amount only covers transport and food. Participants are required to take along their own tents.
He said the amount can be paid in monthly instalments of N$375 over a period of nine months and can be deposited into the committee’s bank account.
For more information on payment, Mwanyekange can be contacted on 081 256 9840.
Mwanyekange, on behalf of the Cassinga survivors, expressed condolences to the family of the late governor of Angola’s southern Cunene province, António Didalelwa, who died recently.
He said Didalelwa was one of the speakers at the commemoration of Cassinga Day this year.
KENYA KAMBOWE