Former Prime Minister Nahas Angula has said Africa’s youth must learn lessons and emulate the leadership qualities of former president of Angola, José Eduardo dos Santos.
Angula said this in an interview with Nampa on Sunday following the death of Dos Santos in a hospital in Spain on Friday after suffering a heart attack.
“The youth should learn from his perseverance, courage, determination and commitment to freedom, peace and independence in southern Africa. We still have big enemies to fight. Enemies such as underdevelopment,” he said.
Angula further stated that underdevelopment in Africa is responsible for poverty and youth unemployment, thus it is up to young people to now define their mission and work towards it for the sake of the continent.
The youth of Africa, he added, should work hard for the total liberation of Africa from ignorance and underdevelopment.
“Dos Santos ruled Angola for a considerable time during which he faced a lot of problems such as the civil war and invasion by apartheid forces, but he kept his promise to liberate Angola,” he said.
On his part, the Acting Head of Department of Multilateral Relations and Cooperation in the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, Jerobeam Shaanika, said Namibia will remember Dos Santos for his steadfastness to the cause of the liberation struggle in southern Africa, particularly for Namibia.
“Many Angolan economic infrastructures were destroyed and many Angolan nationals were killed by apartheid South African troops, but Angola under President José Eduardo dos Santos did not ask Namibians to leave Angola to save Angola,” he said.
Instead, he fought side by side, suffered the same consequences and stood firm until Namibia attained independence.
“I vividly remember the night before former President Sam Nujoma returned home from exile. President Dos Santos gave him a touching and moving farewell reception and I was honoured to be one of those comrades chosen to accompany then Swapo President Nujoma to Angola for the occasion,” he noted.