IT WAS a battle that changed the course of history in southern African politics.
Pitting the then SA Defence Force against combined forces of Cuban and Angolan government in Cuito Cuanavale in 1988, the battle culminated in a series of developments, including the independence of Namibia.
The retreat by SADF from Angola underlined the Cuban's military prowess, which was galvanised by the will of the Angolans and their army.
A visit to South Africa by a delegation of Cuban military veterans, who arrived on Saturday, has revived the memories of Cuito Cuanavale.
The delegation is visiting South Africa to exchange ideas with local veterans.
The Ex-Combatant Association, which consists of former uMkhonto we Sizwe cadres, is hosting the Cubans together with the Department of Military Veterans Affairs.
On Sunday, the Cubans laid wreaths at Freedom Park in Pretoria, where the names of 2070 Cuban soldiers who fell in battle in Angola between 1975 and 1988 are inscribed, along the names of South African Struggle heroes.
The ceremony also marked the official welcoming of the delegation, which includes Cuito Cuanavale generals.
The Cubans' visit will culminate in the finalisation of an ambitious plan to build a road between Cuito Cuanavale and Cape Town in memory of the battle.
They include Jose Risquet, fighter and negotiator during the battle and Colonel Orlando Villavicencio, the longest held prisoner of war after spending 11 years in the Somali's prison of Lanta Buur. He was captured during the war between Somalia and Ethiopia in 1977.
Struggle clash relived
IT WAS a battle that changed the course of history in southern African politics.
Pitting the then SA Defence Force against combined forces of Cuban and Angolan government in Cuito Cuanavale in 1988, the battle culminated in a series of developments, including the independence of Namibia.
The retreat by SADF from Angola underlined the Cuban's military prowess, which was galvanised by the will of the Angolans and their army.
A visit to South Africa by a delegation of Cuban military veterans, who arrived on Saturday, has revived the memories of Cuito Cuanavale.
The delegation is visiting South Africa to exchange ideas with local veterans.
The Ex-Combatant Association, which consists of former uMkhonto we Sizwe cadres, is hosting the Cubans together with the Department of Military Veterans Affairs.
On Sunday, the Cubans laid wreaths at Freedom Park in Pretoria, where the names of 2070 Cuban soldiers who fell in battle in Angola between 1975 and 1988 are inscribed, along the names of South African Struggle heroes.
The ceremony also marked the official welcoming of the delegation, which includes Cuito Cuanavale generals.
The Cubans' visit will culminate in the finalisation of an ambitious plan to build a road between Cuito Cuanavale and Cape Town in memory of the battle.
They include Jose Risquet, fighter and negotiator during the battle and Colonel Orlando Villavicencio, the longest held prisoner of war after spending 11 years in the Somali's prison of Lanta Buur. He was captured during the war between Somalia and Ethiopia in 1977.
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