Cassinga | |
|---|---|
  Cassinga Location in Angola | |
| Coordinates: 15°06′47.4″S 16°06′08.8″E / 15.113167°S 16.102444°E | |
| Country |  Angola |
| Province | Huíla |
| Municipality | Jamba |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT) |
Cassinga or Kassinga[note 1] is a town and commune in the municipality of Jamba, province of Huíla, Angola.
It is situated on an old and important two-track road from Jamba to Huambo.[1]
Established as an ore mine and during the Civil War allegedly used as Namibian guerrilla training site and refugee camp, the place was the scene of the Battle of Cassinga, an airborne raid by the South African Defence Force against the People's Liberation Army of Namibia on 4 May 1978 that killed several hundred SWAPO fighters, Cuban soldiers and Namibian refugees.
The settlement is a place of reverence and pilgrimage by both belligerents of the battle. Namibians celebrate Cassinga Day as a national holiday. SWAPO and the MPLA claimed the battle was a massacre of a refugee camp. The battle is thus regarded the turning point in the fight for Namibian independence, which then started drawing support from a wider segment of the population. Some South Africans, mostly those who fought in the battle, and their families, celebrate a "jewel of military craftmanship".[2] These people pay respect to those who died in the battle, by visiting the town.[1] No major commemorations or celebrations are held by the general South African public, of all races.
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- ^ a b Amupadhi, Tangeni (12 June 2015). "Cassinga forgotten". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ Geldenhuys 1995, p. 93.