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FARE THEE WELL: Reverend Francis Kooper said the death of his brother will not diminish the fight for restorative justice for the Nama. PHOTO: JEMIMA BEUKES
FARE THEE WELL: Reverend Francis Kooper said the death of his brother will not diminish the fight for restorative justice for the Nama. PHOTO: JEMIMA BEUKES

Kooper hailed as a champion of restorative justice

JEMIMA BEUKES
The late Gaob Petrus Kooper of the Kai-//Khaun community has been hailed as a principled man who never wavered in the fight for restorative justice for the Nama people and the brutalities they had endured during the 1904-08 Nama and Ovaherero genocide by Imperial Germany.

Reverend Francis Kooper, the late chief’s brother, said Kooper was an icon and a brave leader who was not afraid of a challenge.

He said the memory of his brother should be honoured by taking the fight for reparations to another level.

“You left a huge gap and those who remain to take up the torch understand that it is nothing about us, for us, and we will not start looking for excuses. And please don’t come here (funeral) to defend your positions. Government must recognise our chiefs, they are our leaders, even if they cannot speak English,” Kooper stressed.

Do not fade

Gaob Paul Swartbooi of the Bondelswarts community in South Africa, who travelled to Namibia for the burial of Gaoab, said Kooper was a man of his word, who spoke his mind without mincing words, but also had an outstanding sense of humour.

“He was an interesting person and his most important legacy will be his fight for the genocide. I really hope this fight will not fade now that he has passed on. We cannot allow that. The genocide had a direct impact on us who were born in South Africa and Botswana, because our grandparents were forced to flee their motherland,” said Swartbooi.

Meanwhile, Hardap governor Salomon April condemned those who tainted the funeral and memorial services of the late Kooper by pushing political agendas and Nama leaders who undermined Nama traditional authorities.

Natalia IIGoagoses, deputy minister of urban and rural development, meanwhile urged the community to avoid a succession dispute.

“It is a pity, that we have no choice but to bring this matter to your attention at the time of mourning because experience has shown us that once a chief dies, traditional communities have a tendency in creating factions around who will succeed the late chief, contrary to the customary law,” she said.

Professor Mutjinde Katjiua, paramount chief of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA), whose chieftaincy is in dispute among the Ovaherero community, said he will remain side by side with the Namas in the fight for restorative justice.

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Namibian Sun 2024-03-29

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Katima Mulilo: 19° | 36° Rundu: 19° | 29° Eenhana: 19° | 29° Oshakati: 21° | 30° Ruacana: 20° | 33° Tsumeb: 19° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 29° Omaruru: 19° | 32° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Gobabis: 17° | 30° Henties Bay: 16° | 20° Wind speed: 22km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 11:22, High tide: 05:24, Low Tide: 23:26, High tide: 17:46 Swakopmund: 16° | 17° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:22, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:44 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 27km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:21, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:43 Rehoboth: 19° | 30° Mariental: 23° | 34° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 35° Aranos: 22° | 33° Lüderitz: 15° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 24° | 35° Oranjemund: 14° | 25° Luanda: 27° | 28° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 26° Mbabane: 16° | 21° Maseru: 11° | 29° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 27° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Cape Town: 17° | 28° Durban: 20° | 24° Johannesburg: 16° | 24° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 20° | 30° Harare: 16° | 29° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.79 | EUR to NAD 20.36 | CNY to NAD 2.61 | USD to NAD 18.87 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.77 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 133.84 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.88 | USD to ZMW 25.01 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 74536 Up +0.85% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1528.69 Up +0.84% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12986.94 Up +0.04% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 27559.35 Down -2.36% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - 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Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 233.12/OZ UP +1.93% | Copper US$ 3.99/lb UP +0.12% | Zinc US$ 2 455.50/T UP 0% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.65/BBP UP +1.46% | Platinum US$ 908.62/OZ UP +1.53%