A veteran of the Liberation Struggle, Ellen Musialela, has welcomed the government’s decision to host Namibia’s 34th Independence celebrations at Katima Mulilo, Zambezi Region. 

The region, at the time known as the Caprivi Strip, was an important gateway to freedom, with many freedom fighters and refugees crossing into neighbouring Zambia through the area. 

While the Caprivi Strip was initially isolated, by the 1970s, more and more Namibians were crossing into exile through Caprivi. 

This development led to the South African Defence Force intensifying its onslaught in the area in a bid to instill fear in the locals.

Musialela herself travelled into exile via the Namibia-Zambia border in 1968. She recalls that venturing into Zambia was dangerous, with many risking crocodile and hippo attacks while crossing the river. 

When she finally reached the Swapo Centre in Zambia, she met the likes of Putuse Appolus, Joseph Hawala, and Moses Garoeb.

Namibians and Zambians alike suffered greatly at the hands of the apartheid regime, and Musialela thanked the people of Zambia for their sacrifice. 

Musialela, who served on the Swapo Politburo and is a former Secretary General of the Swapo Party Women’s Council, urges Namibians to remember those who died while fighting for freedom, saying it was the ultimate sacrifice.