1988 Oshakati bomb blast
Encyclopedia
The 1988 Oshakati bomb blast was a bombing in Oshakati
, Ovamboland
, South West Africa
(now Oshana Region, Namibia
) which killed 27 people and left 70 others injured on 17 February 1988. The target of the bombing was the Barclay
's Bank in the town. The perpetrators were never convicted, though significant proof exists that the South Africa
n police perpetrated the bombing in order to discredit the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), the major independence movement in Namibia. At the time of the blast, both SWAPO and the South African authorities blamed each other.
Ovamboland government.
Oshakati
Oshakati is a town of 30,000 inhabitants in the Oshana Region of Namibia. It is the regional capital and was officially founded in July 1966. The city was used as a base of operations by the South African Defence Force during the South African Border War and Namibian War of Independence...
, Ovamboland
Ovamboland
Ovamboland was the name given by English-speaking visitors to the land occupied by the Ovambo people in what is now northern Namibia and southern Angola...
, South West Africa
South West Africa
South-West Africa was the name that was used for the modern day Republic of Namibia during the earlier eras when the territory was controlled by the German Empire and later by South Africa....
(now Oshana Region, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
) which killed 27 people and left 70 others injured on 17 February 1988. The target of the bombing was the Barclay
Barclays plc
Barclays PLC is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. As of 2010 it was the world's 10th-largest banking and financial services group and 21st-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
's Bank in the town. The perpetrators were never convicted, though significant proof exists that the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n police perpetrated the bombing in order to discredit the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), the major independence movement in Namibia. At the time of the blast, both SWAPO and the South African authorities blamed each other.
Background
18 February, the day of the blast, was a Friday at the end of the month, which is the traditional time when state employees were paid. At approximately noon, a car bomb exploded. Oshakati in the 1980s was a major hub for both the South African military as well as the bantustanBantustan
A bantustan was a territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa , as part of the policy of apartheid...
Ovamboland government.