/ 18 March 2008

Zuma leads ANC delegation to Cuito Cuanavale

African National Congress president Jacob Zuma will on Tuesday lead the party’s delegation to Angola to mark the 20th anniversary of the battle of Cuito Cuanavale.

The delegation is expected to return home on Monday, the ANC said in a statement.

A parliamentary delegation left from Pretoria on Friday in a convoy to Cuito Cuanavale to commemorate the battle.

The delegation includes military veterans from both sides, government representatives, scholars and civil society.

The defence forces of Cuba, Angola and South Africa met at Cuito Cuanavale in 1987 in what has been described as Africa’s largest land battle since World War II, with all sides claiming victory.

According to a statement issued by Parliament, it was regarded as one of the final battles of the Cold War, which irreversibly changed the history and political landscape of Southern Africa.

”At Cuito Cuanavale, Angolan, Namibian and Cuban forces managed to bring the military aggression of the apartheid military forces to a halt, while South African liberation armies fighting in the north of Angola managed to contain the Angolan rebel armies — preventing them from reinforcing the apartheid armies,” it said.

However, this was disputed earlier this year by former members of the apartheid-era SA Defence Force (SADF), who said it was never the SADF’s intention to capture the city of Cuito Cuanavale, but merely drive back opposing forces from south-east Angola, which it did.

They also claimed that while 4 000 Angolan and Cuban soldiers died, only 20 SADF soldiers perished.

Parliament said in its statement that the visit would highlight the significance of the battle and encourage an appreciation of the importance that global solidarity played in the emancipation of Southern Africa and Africa.

”With this trail, homage will be paid to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for South Africa’s liberation.” – Sapa