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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^ abAmupadhi, Tangeni (12 June 2015). "Cassinga forgotten". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
The Battle of Cassinga also known as the Cassinga Raid or Kassinga Massacre was a controversial South African airborne attack on a South West Africa People's...
Cassinga or Kassinga 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...
Cassinga Day is a national public holiday in Namibia remembering the Cassinga Massacre. Commemorated annually on 4 May, the date "remembers those (approximately...
The Cassinga mine is a large iron mine located in south-western Angola in Huíla Province. Cassinga represents one of the largest iron ore reserves in Angola...
two differing accounts of the Cassinga incident. While both concur that an airborne South African unit entered Cassinga on 4 May and that the paratroopers...
is most known for — a controversial airborne assault by paratroopers on Cassinga, a refugee camp and SWAPO's regional headquarters, 260 km inside Angola...
Friday 1 April - Easter Monday 1 May - International Workers' Day 4 May - Cassinga Day 9 May - Ascension Day 25 May - Africa Day 9 August - Heroes' Day 10...
Day May 4 Anti-Bullying Day (United Nations) Bird Day (United States) Cassinga Day (Namibia) Death of Milan Rastislav Štefánik Day (Slovakia) Greenery...
1977 and was promoted to colonel. In 1978, led the SADF air assault on Cassinga, and has continued to the present day to contest opposing versions of the...
major airborne assault in South African military history, the Battle of Cassinga, a raid carried out against SWAPO insurgents. Despite his rank, Viljoen...
building. 1978 – The South African Defence Force attacks a SWAPO base at Cassinga in southern Angola, killing about 600 people. 1979 – Margaret Thatcher...
but also a refugee camp. Cassinga was attacked by air on 4 May 1978 by the South African Defence Force in the Battle of Cassinga. Hamaambo barely escaped...
quarries may be included in this list. Camafuca diamond mine Catoca diamond mine Fucauma diamond mine Luarica diamond mine Lulo diamond mine Cassinga mine...
Organization (SWAPO) military base[citation needed] at the former town of Cassinga, Angola on 4 May 1978. Conducted as one of the three major actions of Operation...
that manages iron ore production in Angola. Formed in 1981 to manage the Cassinga mines in partnership with a private firm, mining operations was impeded...
Edward McGill Alexander (July 2003). "Appendix A to Chapter 9 of the Cassinga Raid" (PDF). University of South Africa. Retrieved 27 September 2018. {{cite...
People's Organization (SWAPO) in exile in 1978 and survived the Battle of Cassinga during the conflict with the South African Army. Kamaya was appointed to...
1966 to 1989. Their best known action was the controversial Battle of Cassinga in 1978. The unit's nickname "Parabat" is a portmanteau derived from the...
Bosboks) and ground-based FACs during the Border War including the Battle of Cassinga. During the Force Intervention Brigade operations in the Democratic Republic...
Heroes' Acre Windhoek The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier contains soil from Cassinga and Oshatotwa from the Namibian War of Independence. New Zealand Tomb...
on a heavily populated SWAPO camps at Cassinga (Kassinga) and Chetequera. SADF intelligence believed Cassinga to be a PLAN (People's Liberation Army...
Windhoek from November 2012 to December 2014. She is a survivor of the Cassinga massacre of 4 May 1978. During her tenure as mayor of the City of Windhoek...
Operation Location / Country Aircraft and Role Notes May 1978 Reindeer Cassinga, Angola Para-drop: 4x C-130, 5x C-160 Para extraction and support: 14x...
the Lobito Mining Company, which developed an iron ore mine inland at Cassinga. The construction of the mine installations and a 300 km railway were commissioned...
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