Pretoria, March 23, 2021.- An emotive ceremony to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale was held today in the “Freedom Park” historical museum park in the city of Pretoria.
The event organized by the South African authorities, was chaired by the South African Minister of Art and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, and also included the participation of senior representatives of the African National Congress (ANC), the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU), the Friends of Cuba Society (FOCUS), the Association of South African Graduates in Cuba, the Association of Cuban Residents in South Africa and representatives of the Cuban cooperation brigades in this brother African country.
The event was broadcast live on several internet channels and on the national radio station SABC, which allowed it to be followed by a wide audience in the country.
The South African Minister and the diplomatic representatives of Angola, Namibia, Cuba and Russia conveyed emotional messages in recognition of the key role of Cuba in the victory in Cuito Cuanavale and the significance of this military conflict as a defining moment in the history of Southern Africa, for its decisive contribution to the independence of Angola and Namibia and the overthrow of the racist Apartheid regime in South Africa.
The Cuban internationalist combatants in Angola, Antonio Jardines del Valle and Juan Pérez Aldana, received recognition medals awarded by the Russian Military Veterans Association.
As the culmination of the event, a solemn ceremony of depositing of floral offerings was held in front of the "Wall of Names", a historical site where the names of 2 289 Cuban internationalist heroes who offered their lives in the battles for the liberation of Africa are engraved, including the Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, for his leadership in those battles.