Africa-Press – Namibia. The site manager for Heroes’ Acre, Helena Nengola, said the air-conditioning installed in the presidential mausoleums at the national shrine is intended for visitors who are paying homage to the graves of the former presidents.
Nengola told Nampa on Monday that visitors at the shrine often query about the installation of air-conditioners and charging sockets in the mausoleums of Founding President Sam Nujoma and president Hage Geingob.
“Some members of the public are complaining about the air-conditioning and the plugs. Why do we have the air conditioner there? When you are visiting the grave, there are no windows and there is no air. We put the fans in there so that if our visitors are visiting the grave, they won’t suffocate. That’s the reason why we have air-conditioning there,” she said.
“And why do we have plugs? When we develop our sites, we would love our people, you know, to read on their own. We will have technology there where we just plug in the history of Sam Nujoma or Hage Geingob. That’s why we have those kinds of facilities inside. That has nothing to do with the grave itself,” she stated.
Nengola, who hosted members of the SADC Parliamentary Forum executive committee, expressed her delight at the increasing number of visitors to the national shrine outside Windhoek.
“You know, most of our people are visiting the site. Students, secondary schools, primary schools, university students, we have a lot of people who are acknowledging the site now. We don’t have a problem. In the beginning, it was difficult, but these days, our people are visiting the site every time. Because, you know, Heroes’ Acre is open to anyone,” she said.
The site manager said August and September are the busiest months, during which they host school tours and international visitors at the burial site of national heroes and heroines.
“The people from other countries are visiting us, especially from Germany and other African countries. They are visiting us more than other countries. Yeah, it’s functioning,” Nengola said.
The National Heritage Council manages the Heroes’ Acre and many other heritage sites in Namibia. She also encouraged the public to use the restaurant at Heroes’ Acre for hosting various activities.
“We have a restaurant there, which is open to any activity. If you have an end-of-the-year function or maybe a wedding, or any event, you can host your event at our restaurant. It’s open to the community from Monday to Sunday,” she said.
Meanwhile, Nengola urged the public to be patient regarding the visit to the grave of Nujoma, stating that it is not yet open to the public.
The heritage council is awaiting communication from the government regarding the inauguration of Nujoma’s grave. Meanwhile, members of the public can visit president Geingob’s grave, and are permitted to take photos inside the mausoleum.
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