President Magufuli honours Namibian freedom fighters
President John Magufuli says his prayer to fallen Namibian freedom fighters at the Heroes Acre in Windhoek during his tour of the south African nation yesterday.
PHOTO | STATE HOUSE
Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli yesterday paid homage to the Heroes Acre in Namibia in remembrance of the country’s freedom fighters.
He was accompanied by his Namibian counterpart Hage Geingob.
A number of freedom fighters received their military training in Kongwa, Tanzania, and were buried at the Heroes Acre in Windhoek.
Some of the heroes were members of the South-West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo)party, whose offices were based in Dar es Salaam.
The names of some of the heroes are: Ndimo Hamaambo, Peter Nanyemba, Theo-Ben Gurirabo and Toiro ya Toire.
President Magufuli thereafter visited a meat factory in the Namibian capital.
The factory, owned by Meatco company employs 650. Company chief executive officer Jannie Breytenbach expressed interest to expand their business to Tanzania. Earlier, President Magufuli assured his Namibian counterpart, Dr Geingob, that Tanzania was ready to offer Kiswahili teachers and books to the southern African country.
According to a statement released by the Directorate of Presidential Communications, President Magufuli said the books would be used for teaching Kiswahili in Namibia.
Dr Magufuli is on a two-day state visit where he launched a main street in Windhoek named after Tanzania’s founding father of the Nation Julius Nyerere.
Several key streets in Namibia’s capital Windhoek were renamed after African leaders who have had significant contribution to the country’s independence struggle.
Dr Magufuli used his state visit to Namibia to call for the revival of Joint Permanent Commission (JPC), which has not met since 1999. He directed cabinet ministers in Tanzania to hold a Joint Permanent Commission with the Namibian ministers, in the next two months, to discuss areas of further cooperation.
Last year, the trade volume between Tanzania and Namibia stood at Sh59 billion only and there are only two Namibian firms operating in Tanzania.
Dr Magufuli, who received a 21-gun salute gesture in Namibia said Tanzanian was in the final stages of opening up an Embassy in Windhoek.
From Namibia, Dr Magufuli would he heading to Zimbabwe where he is expected to hold talks with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
