Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has paid tribute to generations of Namibians who contributed to the country's liberation struggle, as the remains of eight liberation struggle heroes were reburied at Heroes' Acre in the capital, Windhoek.
Speaking at the ceremony on Monday, Nandi-Ndaitwah described the veterans as pioneers of the struggle and committed members of SWAPO, saying their sacrifices extended far beyond their own lives and helped lay the foundation for the freedom Namibia enjoys today.
"The responsibility now rests with the current generation to protect and build on that legacy", Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
The president described their return to Namibia as a restoration of dignity and belonging.
Namibia and South Africa completed the repatriation of the remains during a re-humanisation and repatriation ceremony held in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Both governments said the repatriation forms part of wider efforts by Namibia and South Africa to return the remains of Namibians who died or were buried outside the country during the colonial and apartheid eras.
South Africa-Namibia cooperation
Nandi-Ndaitwah in her speech expressed appreciation to South Africa’s Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angelina Motshekga, for the cooperation and support in making the repatriation possible.
The families of the eight veterans also paid tribute to the men whose lives and sacrifices are being honoured at Heroes' Acre.
The victims honoured were identified as Fillemon Nduuvu Nangolo, Festus Nehale, Immanuel Shifidi, Simon Petrus Niilenge, Eliaser Tuhadeleni, Immanuel Gottlieb Ndemulungila, Nathaniel Maxuilili, Tobias Hainyeko and Brendan Simbwaye.
South Africa's Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angelina Motshekga, reflected on the deep connection between Namibia's liberation history and South Africa's own struggle against apartheid.
Speaking at the reburial ceremony, Motshekga highlighted the human cost of the liberation struggle, including years spent in exile, imprisonment and the loss of lives far from home.
She said the return of the remains gives the fallen a final connection to the country for which they sacrificed their lives, while allowing Namibia and South Africa to confront and remember a difficult chapter in their shared history.
