Following a successful repatriation of remains of two Namibian liberation heroes, who died at the then notorious Robben Island Prison, has inspired South Africa to perform a similar programme.
A procession carrying the remains of liberation stalwarts who were reburied at the Heroes' Acre today passed through parts of Windhoek ahead of the official reburial ceremony.
After more than five decades, Namibia has laid to rest two liberation heroes who died in captivity on Robben Island, while honouring six others whose remains and legacies have now been brought together at Heroes' Acre.
The reburial of eight liberation struggle veterans is an act of restorative justice and a powerful reminder of the shared history between Namibia and South Africa.
The remains of former Robben Island political prisoners Festus Nehale and Simon Petrus Niilenge, along with 84 ancestral remains, have finally arrived at the Hosea Kutako International Airport this morning.
The formal re-humanisation and repatriation ceremony for the remains of 84 Namibian ancestors and two former political prisoners, which was expected at the Hosea Kutako International Airport, has been postponed to tomorrow, at 08h00.
The Chairperson of the Council of Traditional Leaders, Immanuel |Gaseb has highlighted that for the families of Nehale and Niilenge, this is a homecoming marked by both relief and grief.
Eighty-four ancestral remains, alongside those of two former Robben Island political prisoners, Festus Nehale and Simon Niilenge, are expected to arrive at the Hosea Kutako International Airport today.
The government says the repatriation of the remains of two former political prisoners Simon Niilenge and Festus Nehale from Cape Town, South Africa, is about restoring dignity, reconnecting families with their ancestors and addressing a painful chapter in the country's liberation history.
The final buses carrying Malawian returnees from South Africa arrived in Mwanza on Friday, ending a government-funded programme that brought home more than 56,700 people.
Returnees were observed unloading belongings and undergoing checks before receiving aid.
