Anton was integral - Almo Lubowski

Almo Lubowski, the son of the late anti-apartheid activist Anton Lubowski, confirmed to Namibian Sun from South Africa yesterday that his family had a visit from an envoy of the President at the weekend to talk to about Lubowski’s reburial of at the Heroes’ Acre next week. “This was appreciated by the family. We are very happy that this honour is being bestowed on my father and that the government and Swapo unquestionably recognise him as having played an integral part in Namibia’s independence, and also very specifically to ensure that Swapo as a party was in a dominant position financially and administratively immediately prior to independence, and leading up to independence,” said Lubowski Jr. However, he said very few family members are available to be in Windhoek next week at such short notice. “My mother and widow of Anton Lubowski, Gabrielle, will likely be available next week for the ceremony. It has, however, been agreed that any official ceremony and reburial will be at a later date, preferably on the date he was killed, being next month, September 12. However, we accept that the President will have the last decision-making authority here. We will then be available as a family to have that ceremony,” he said. Yesterday, Namibian Sun reported that three Swapo legends, founding member Moses Garoeb, former defence minister Peter Mweshihange and Anton Lubowski, party lawyer, will be reburied at the Heroes’ Acre next week. The reburial of the three Swapo veterans will be the highlight of this year’s commemoration of Heroes’ Day. Garoeb’s and Mweshihange’s remains will be moved from the Old Location Cemetery in Hochland Park, while Lubowski will be exhumed at the Katutura Cemetery where he was buried in 1989 following his assassination. Lubowski, who served as Swapo’s lawyer, was murdered in front of his Windhoek home on September 12, 1989 during the independence election campaign. There have been various calls for his grave to be moved to the Heroes’ Acre. National Heritage Council of Namibia chairperson Esther Mwoombola-/Goagoses confirmed the reburials on Tuesday and the families of Mweshihange and Garoeb also confirmed the reburial of the remains. WINDHOEK NAMENE HELMICH