Government offices, businesses, and most shops in Namibia will be closed tomorrow. The public holiday on December 10th is dedicated not only to human rights, as it is worldwide, but also to Namibian women.
On December 10, 1959, police brutally suppressed a protest in what was then the Old Location district of Windhoek. 13 people were killed and 44 injured. This massacre of civilians is considered the starting point of Namibia's struggle for independence.
At that time, Namibia was still under the administration of the mandatory power of South Africa. In line with its policy of racial segregation, the Windhoek municipality planned to relocate the residents of the Old Location district, a predominantly 'black' area on the western outskirts of the city, to a new district 5 km north of Windhoek.
The houses built there were made of brick and had flush toilets in the yard. However, they were not for sale, only for rent. Furthermore, the significantly smaller plots of land made it impossible to grow vegetables.
To get to work in the city and the 'white' suburbs, one either had to endure long walks or use the paid city bus. This is why those affected named the new district 'Katutura', which in OtjiHerero means "the place where there is no staying."
Furthermore, the residents of the Old Location were outraged by the municipality's crackdown on shebeens. These are small bars in Southern African townships. In those days they sold "tombo", or home-brewed beer.
For many women, the shebeens were an important source of income. The municipality, on the other hand, wanted to control the sale of alcohol and restrict it to the 'beer halls' it operated itself.
Beginning of the Liberation Struggle
Memorial stone at the Old Location cemetery, which today serves as a memorial site to commemorate the massacre on 10 December 1959. Photo: Namibian.org
Women marched peacefully in protest to the administrator of the mandatary power South Africa and the Windhoek magistrate. Both refused to hear their case and accept their petition.
Therefore, the protesters decided to blockade the city's beer hall in the Old Location. The police intervened, stones were thrown, and shots were fired. 13 people, including one woman, were killed, and 44 others were injured.
It was the first massacre of the 'black' population by the 'white' apartheid regime of South Africa. The infamous Sharpeville Massacre did not occur until three months later.
For Namibia, the massacre at the Old Location marked the beginning of the liberation struggle. Leading figures of the resistance, including the future SWAPO leader and first president of independent Namibia, Sam Nujoma, went into exile to organise the armed struggle against the apartheid regime.
10 December therefore honors the contribution of women to the liberation struggle. A memorial dedicated to the victims was established after independence at the Old Location cemetery in western Windhoek.
You can learn more about the uprising at the Old Location in Windhoek on the Gondwana Collection Namibia YouTube channel. Two videos describe the events and their context: Namibian History - Old Location and Namibian History - Old Location Part 2.
An overview of Namibian public holidays is available on Namibian.org in its Travel Advice section.