Ondjiva — Twenty-five ex-servicemen and war veterans from South Africa and their families organised a tourist excursion to the municipality of Cahama, southern Cunene Province, from 18th to 20th of this month, with the aim of visiting former combat zones and other historical sites.
The tour by the Association of Former South African Combatants of Battalion 61 focused on visiting the former command post of the 2nd Motorised Infantry Brigade of the former FAPLA (governmental forces).
The delegation camped for 24 hours in the bunker compound, where during the night they gave several testimonies and exchanged experiences about the times of conflict and fraternised with members of the administration.
The leader of the caravan, Johan Booysn, was grateful for the warm welcome and stressed that the aim was to bring the war veterans and their families to learn about the history and potential of the municipality of Cahama, to galvanise the bonds of friendship between the two peoples so that together they could make tourism a reality.
He said that the delegation intended to take an eight-day trip to the south of Angola, to the province of Cuando Cubango, with their return planned for the 25th, via Cunene.
In turn, the municipal administrator of Cahama, Orlando Kamati, considered the visit a memorable milestone for the region, towards the preservation and enhancement of this site, which perpetuates the history of the thousands of Angolans who shed their blood in defence of their homeland as a result of the invasion of national territory by South African troops.
The administrator said that the government intended to make improvements to the Second Brigade bunker tourist park in order to boost tourism, with a view to preserving the collective memory of the people and the shared history with the South Africans.
Cahama - the scene of resistance to the South African occupation
The municipality of Cahama was the scene of the resistance struggle against the South African invasion of 1981, where intense and bloody fighting took place for seven years, forcing the South African regional military power to withdraw.
On 13 June 1984, the former President of the Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos, in his capacity as commander-in-chief, visited the command of the 2nd brigade where he fraternised with the soldiers who were bravely defending the region.
FI/LHE/SC/DAN/jmc
