In the morning of May 4, 1978, the South African Defence Force ran an air strike on camp Cassinga near the village of Cassinga, followed by a deployment of paratroopers. The camp was inhabited by exiled SWAPO sympathisers and their families. 165 men, 294 women and 300 children died in this attack.
Why did South African army attack the Cassinga camp?
South Africa also feared the disruption of elections it planned to hold in South West Africa excluding SWAPO. The attack on Cassinga grew out of the plan for Operation Bruilof, wherein the SADF envisaged attacking six SWAPO targets around the town of Chetequera.
How important was the Cassinga massacre to the history of Namibia?
Whatever the truth, the massacre was a political disaster for the South African apartheid regime, hardening international resistance to the South African war effort. Even though the war ended in 1990 in a stalemate, it led directly to the independence of Namibia.
What is Cassinga Day Namibia?
With Cassinga Day, each year, Namibia commemorates the Cassinga massacre on 4 May 1978, when the village of Cassinga far across into the Angolan territory was attacked by South African military forces.
What caused the South African Border War?
South Africa’s other main reason for involvement in this conflict, was its fight against the liberation movements of SWAPO in Namibia, MPLA in Angola, ANC and PAC in South Africa, FRELIMO in Mozambique, and ZANLA and ZIPRA in Zimbabwe.
How many Cuban troops were in Angola?
Cuban troops:
36,000 (1976) 35,000–37,000 (1982)
What happened in Namibia on the 10th December 1959?
On 10 December 1959, five days after a group of women from Windhoek’s Old Location marched to the then SWA administrator’s home in protest against the apartheid regime’s oppression and intention to relocate Old Location residents to Katutura, police clashed with residents, killing 11 and wounding 44.
How many South African soldiers died in the border war?
During the Bushwar the SADF suffered 1791 casualties (combat and all other accidents), while SWAPO lost an estimated 11400 guerrillas in combat.
What is the meaning of Swapo?
South West Africa People’s Organisation. Abbreviation. SWAPO.
Why did SA fight in Namibia?
The aim of South Africa’s rule over Namibia was to exploit the mineral resources by white South Africa. In 1964, South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) was formed. SWAPO was mainly a Black African Nationalist movement led by Sam Nujoma.
Did South Africa lose the border war?
South African Border War | |
---|---|
Casualties and losses | |
2,365–2,500 dead | 11,335 dead 2,016–5,000 dead (including Angolan Civil War deaths) |
Namibian civilians dead: 947–1,087 |
Why are they called Boers?
The term Boer, derived from the Afrikaans word for farmer, was used to describe the people in southern Africa who traced their ancestry to Dutch, German and French Huguenot settlers who arrived in the Cape of Good Hope from 1652.
Why did SA invade Angola?
South African forces invaded deep into Angola with the objective of driving the MPLA, Soviet and Cuban forces out of southern Angola so as to strengthen the position of UNITA, the main opponent of the MPLA and an ally of South Africa.
Who won the war in Angola?
This made the Angolan war part of the Cold War. In 2002 the MPLA won. About 500,000 people died in the war.
Did African soldiers fight in ww2?
More than a million African soldiers served in colonial armies in World War II. … More than a million Africans served as combatants as well as war workers and carriers in World War II for the colonial powers – more than half enlisted by Britain with the rest serving France and Belgium.
How did Windhoek massacre?
It commemorates the Windhoek massacre, in which at least 11 people were killed when police opened fire on an unarmed crowd. … Forms of social life were positively contrasted with the newly constructed township outside Windhoek, which accordingly was called Katutura (“a place where we do not stay”).
Why Namibian did not want to move to Katutura?
For a number of reasons most residents did not want to move: They had owned the erven in Old Location whereas in Katutura all land belonged to the municipality. … This event is known as the Old Location uprising, it is the reason for the declaration of December 10, Human Rights Day, as a Namibian national holiday.
Why did Germany want to take over Namibia?
The reason Germany selected Namibia as its “protectorate” was influenced by the fact that a tobacco merchant from Bremen, Franz Luderitz, bought up coastal land in the area in 1882. This resulted in Germany actively establishing itself in the African country by 1884. They occupied Herero lands.
How good was the old South African army?
At its peak, the apartheid military had more than 100,000 active conscripts, and consumed 4.4 percent of national GDP, making it one of Africa’s largest and best trained fighting forces.
Why did Namibia leave South Africa?
In a 1971 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice upheld UN authority over Namibia, determining that the South African presence in Namibia was illegal and that South Africa therefore was obliged to withdraw its administration from Namibia immediately.
Was Namibia part of South Africa?
Namibia gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek. Namibia is a member state of the United Nations (UN), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and the Commonwealth of Nations.
Is Namibia a communist country?
Namibia is a democratic but one party dominant state with the South-West Africa People’s Organisation in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.
Who named Namibia?
Meet Mburumba Kerina, the man who named Namibia!
Was Namibia a British colony?
Namibia was a German colony from 1884 to 1919, then administered by apartheid South Africa until 1990. A small German population still lives in the country.
Is Namibia rich or poor?
Overview. Namibia is a higher-middle-income country with an estimated annual GDP per capita of US$5,828 but has extreme inequalities in income distribution and standard of living.
How did Namibia separate from South Africa?
In the 1960s Toivo ja Toivo and others were arrested for defiance against the South African government, and later sent to Robben Island. In 1988, the South African government, under a UN brokered peace initiative, finally agreed to give up control of Namibia. And on 21 March 1990, Namibia was granted its independence.
When did Germany occupy Namibia?
Background. The areas of German South West Africa (now Namibia) were formally colonized by Germany between 1884–90. The semiarid territory was more than twice as large as Germany, yet it had only a fraction of the population—approximately 250,000 people.
How safe is South Africa?
South Africa has a high level of crime, including rape and murder. The risk of violent crime to visitors travelling to the main tourist destinations is generally low. The South African authorities prioritise protecting tourists and tourism police are deployed in several towns and cities.
How many wars has SA won?
Conflict | South Africa and allies | Losses |
---|---|---|
South African Border War (1966–1989) | South Africa Portugal UNITA FNLA | 2,038 dead |
Natal Civil War (1987–1994) | IFP | Unknown |
Operation Boleas (1998) | South Africa Botswana | 11 dead |
Battle of Bangui (2013) | South Africa Central African Republic | 15 dead |
When was the last war in South Africa?
The end of apartheid in South Africa is typically characterised as ‘peaceful’. However, between 1985 and 1995, South Africa experienced a civil war in which more than 20,000 people died.
What religion are Afrikaans?
Afrikaner religion comes from Protestant practices of the seventeenth-century Reformed Church of Holland. The British brought English-speaking ministers to South Africa in the early 1800s. Next, French settlers brought the ideas of Swiss reformer John Calvin (1509–1564) to South Africa.
Who is the first white person to arrive in South Africa?
1. The first white settlement in South Africa occurred on the Cape under the control of the Dutch East India company. The foothold established by Jan van Riebeck following his arrival with three ships on 6th April 1652 was usually taken in Afrikaner accounts to be the start of the ‘history’ of South Africa.
Did the Dutch support the Boers?
As a result, no other government actively supported the Boer cause. There were, however, individuals from several countries who volunteered and formed Foreign Volunteer Units. These volunteers primarily came from Europe, particularly the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden-Norway.