EDITORIAL: Cassinga heroes turning in their graves

“It is therefore our duty to ensure that the dreams, aspirations and blood of those sons and daughters of Namibia who laid down their lives so that we can enjoy our freedom today are not betrayed,” thundered President Hage Geingob in his Cassinga Day message.

It is a beautiful podium rhetoric by the President but we wonder how the victims of that cowardly attack and indeed those who perished in other skirmishes during the liberation struggle would perceive today’s Namibia.

They fought under the revolutionary banner of Swapo, but how many would still be in the party today if they were still in our midst?

We ask this because much of what is happening in the country at the moment already exceeds the definition of betrayal.

When youth unemployment stands at 43% and graduates are unable to enter the job market, Cassinga heroes, dead and alive, are betrayed.

Namibians at Cassinga did not fight the enemy for eight straight hours to pave way for cronyism and patronage.

Indeed, when clinics run out of medical supplies, and mothers cannot get anaesthetic injections to undergo caesarean sections, it is betrayal of the Cassinga and other victims of war.

Until integrity, uprightness and moral solidarity with the downtrodden become our daily standard operating procedure, this unsolicited betrayal will continue unabated.

This week’s commemoration of Cassinga Day must thus serve as a springboard for the betterment of humanity.