GIVE ME LIBERTY, OR GIVE ME DEATH: Namibia’s fourth president, Nangolo Mbumba, after burying his friend, the late President Dr. Hage Geingob, will once again be in the political limelight as the 30th anniversary of Walvis Bay, in which he played an instrumental role, is celebrated. The Walvis Bay Port and the entire town were only returned to Namibia by South Africa between February 28, 1994, and March 1, 1994, a few years after the country gained its independence on March 21, 1990. The returning of land by South Africa included the Walvis Bay port, as well as Namibia’s twelve small offshore islands, which include Hollamsbird, Mercury, Ichaboe, Seal, Penguin, Halifax, Long, Possession, Albatross, Pomona, Plumpudding, and Sinclair. Nangolo Mbumba was appointed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Walvis Bay Joint Administrative Authority (JAA) in 1992 and worked alongside, ambassador Carl von Hirschberg, his South African counterpart, who he encountered a lot of disagreements with over the territory. The JAA, a joint South Africa and Namibia body, oversaw the reintegration and transition of Walvis Bay to a territory of Namibia. Archive Photos: by Werner Salpeter and Pauline Gonsior.
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