What is "cassinga"

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 from Jamba to Huambo.

Established as an ore mine and during the Civil War used as Namibian guerrilla training site and refugee camp, the place was the scene of the Battle of Cassinga, an air raid by the South African Defence Force against the People's Liberation Army of Namibia on 4 May 1978 that killed several hundred Namibian people, guerrilla fighters, refugees, teenagers and children alike.

The settlement is a place of reverence and pilgrimage by both belligerents of its battle. Namibians celebrate Cassinga Day as a national holiday. Executing an air strike against poorly armed and largely untrained soldiers while killing hundreds of civilians as well laid bare the violence of the South Africans. 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. South Africans celebrate a "jewel of military craftmanship" and a major blow against armed efforts to achieve Namibian independence.