Cassinga Day in Namibia
Cassinga Day is a Namibian public holiday observed on 4 May. It remembers people killed in the 1978 attack on a camp for Namibian refugees in Angola and honours those who died in the country’s liberation struggle.[1][3]
A public holiday set by law
Namibia’s Public Holidays Act lists Cassinga Day as 4 May. If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is also a public holiday unless that Monday is already a public holiday. The Act does not set a general replacement day for a holiday falling on Saturday.[1]
The Labour Act generally bars employers from requiring or permitting employees to work on public holidays, while allowing exceptions including urgent work, certain shops and hotels, health and social welfare care, required farm work, and continuous shifts. It also sets pay rules for employees who work on a public holiday. As a result, the law establishes a day away from work for many employees, but does not mean every workplace closes.[2]
The event remembered
On 4 May 1978, the South African Defence Force attacked a camp near Cassinga in Angola with an air strike followed by paratroopers. A Namibian government speech describes the camp as housing exiled SWAPO refugees and their families, and remembers the people killed there as victims of apartheid South Africa during Namibia’s liberation struggle.[3]
The attack took place in Angola, but the holiday is part of Namibia’s public calendar and national remembrance. A Namibian presidential statement describes Cassinga Day as a time to honour the people who died and to remember the sacrifices associated with the struggle for independence.[3]
Commemorations in Namibia
Commemorative events can take place in different Namibian communities. A government speech delivered at Etayi records a gathering with local residents and Cassinga survivors, and refers to a planned national event at Heroes’ Acre in Windhoek that year. The speech also describes a pilgrimage by survivors and other Namibians to Cassinga in Angola.[3]
These examples show remembrance through public gatherings, testimony and visits connected with the site of the attack.[3]
Planning around the holiday
Because the date is fixed by law, residents and visitors can plan around 4 May each year. Workplaces covered by the Labour Act generally observe the public holiday, while the Act allows specified services and businesses to operate. Check directly with an office, shop or service before travelling, since the law does not set opening hours or transport schedules.[1][2]
Cassinga Day questions
When is Cassinga Day?
Cassinga Day is observed on 4 May, the date listed for it in Namibia’s Public Holidays Act.[1]
Is Cassinga Day a public holiday and a day off?
Does Namibia give a substitute day if 4 May falls on a weekend?
The Act provides that if a public holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is also a public holiday unless it is already one. It does not provide a general substitute day when a holiday falls on Saturday.[1]
Are shops and services closed?
The Labour Act allows some shops, hotels and other specified services to operate on public holidays. Check opening arrangements directly with the place you plan to visit.[2]
Where are Cassinga Day commemorations held?
Government records document a commemoration in Etayi and a planned national event at Heroes’ Acre in Windhoek in the same year. Events may vary by year and community.[3]
Sources and references
Sources used for Cassinga Day in Namibia:
- Public Holidays Act 26 of 1990- National Archives of Namibia
- Labour Act 11 of 2007- Namibian Superior Courts
- Speech for the Cassinga Commemoration (Etayi)- Ministry of Industrialisation and Trade, Republic of Namibia