Cassinga haunts Cuban soldier

“I remember most of them had shrapnel imbedded in their bodies, in thighs, buttocks, back, chest and head.”

These are the words of Orestes Valdivia Hernandez aka Primo, who spoke exclusively to Namibian Sun about the images from the Cassinga attack on May 4, 1978 that haunt him to this day.

Primo, who was directly linked to Swapo’s military wing the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), was among the Cuban soldiers stationed about 40 km from the Cassinga refugee camp that were attacked by apartheid forces on that fateful day.

Named Operation Reindeer, the massacre at the Swapo camp in Angola, claimed nearly a thousand lives, mostly women, children and the elderly.The Swapo camp served as a reception centre for Namibian refugees, who were eager to escape the brutal oppression of the apartheid regime inside the then South-West Africa.After the sneak attack, Primo and his fellow Cuban soldiers were the first to arrive at the scene, littered with debris and blood.

They were also greeted by shouts and cries, as well as lifeless bodies.

“The South Africans used all kinds of bombs, even prohibited ones. They (the survivors) were later treated by Cuban doctors in Kuanza Norte province and Luanda.”

He recalls that many of the children suffered nightmares following the Cassinga attack.

“I remember once safe with us, many kids had terrible nightmares and would have a difficult time sleeping. Others could not bear the sound of cars or trucks, because it reminded them of the bombing aviation.”

According to him the “lucky ones”, came out of that ordeal with multiple bruises, burns, cuts and mutilations.

Apart from being assigned to take care of the survivors, Primo was responsible for setting up a school for them in Angola and then taking them to Cuba for further studies.

“I always like to think that I was in the correct place at the exact time for it to happen. Particularly, I don’t think of myself being worthy of such a great honour. But what I can say is that I went ahead with the assignment, as the most important task ever given to me.”

Although he could not indicate the number of survivors that day, Primo, who now lives in Namibia and works for government, believes there were “dozens”.

Regional and Local Government Minister Charles Namoloh said had it not been for the Cuban forces who where first on the scene after the bombing, there would have been many more casualties.

“A lot of Cubans even died there at Cassinga and thanks to them we are where we are today,” Namoloh said.

“Our people who were wounded were taken to the hospitals that were on a Cuban base and flown to bigger hospitals in Lubango and Luanda on Cuban planes.”

He said it was a result of the help and assistance by Cuba that Namibia managed to break free from the “chains and shackles” of apartheid.

The school which Primo and other Cubans set-up taught the kids to speak Spanish before they were taken to Cuba to study at that country’s educational institutions.

Primo says: “There was an agreement between Fidel Castro and Sam Nujoma to help Namibians become educated men and women, in order to be prepared for an independent and free Namibia in the future.”

He said the school was set-up about 30km on an abandoned farm in the jungle in Kuanza Norte province. The team immediately constructed buildings and adapted them into dormitories and classrooms.

Some trenches and underground shelters were dug out, “just in case we came under fire”.

“As part of the education received, as it is in Cuba, the kids and ourselves managed [to plant]some crops in order to teach them self-reliance techniques,” Primo said.

The school was entirely funded by Cuba, while Swapo fighters also provided food and weapons for self-defence.

Cuban troops contributed food on a regular basis and every month Cuban doctors came to check up on the kids.

Primo’s tale also indicates how his family developed very close relationships with the children, who according to him called him “papi” and his wife “mami”.

“Many of them nowadays are part of government and companies. They are doctors and engineers. They are everywhere.”