Genocide deal faces even more resistance

JEMIMA BEUKES



WINDHOEK

The Zaraeua traditional authority (ZTA) yesterday broke ranks with government after it publicly rejected the genocide deal struck between Namibia and Germany last week.

According to ZTA chief Manase Zeraeua, they were surprised to learn that the Namibian government had settled for N$18.9 billion, adding that they had initially asked for N$16 trillion.

This amount was in the meantime cut to N$8 trillion.

The traditional authority has a representative on the Genocide Technical Committee and has for years supported government’s position on the negotiations.

For years, the Ovaherero/Ovambanderu Council for the Dialogue on the 1904 Genocide (OCD 1904), the Ovaherero and Ovambanderu Genocide Foundation and the Nama Technical Committee on Genocide were at loggerheads over the official negotiations.

During a press briefing, Zeraeua told the media that they only came to learn of the negotiated settlement amount on 20 May.

According to him, the chiefs had pleaded for more time to consult their communities before a decision was made, but this was ignored.

Shocking revelation

“It is a shocking revelation that this key issue remains unresolved. We have taken note of the so-called reconstruction grant that is being proposed as a substitute for reparations. The amount offered by Germany is unacceptable to our communities given the magnitude of the genocidal atrocities committed.

“We vehemently and unequivocally reject and condemn the proposed insulting amount of a mere 1.1 billion euros for the lives, blood, displacement losses and suffering of the Ovaherero and Nama people at the hands of the brutal German government,” he said.

He added that Germany has failed to pronounce itself on the affected communities in the diaspora including Botswana and South Africa where many fled to during the brutal attack by German imperial soldiers.

The community has not yet laid eyes on the controversial settlement and has questioned whether government has now closed the chapter on the official negotiations.

Give and take

Namibia’s special envoy on the Nama-Herero genocide, Zed Ngavirue, said they never demanded N$16 trillion from Germany, instead it was used as a figure to determine the value of the losses the Nama and Ovaherero people suffered.

“We were well aware of the damages the people suffered from the genocide and that is why we engaged in political negotiations. It was not just to show the Germans the extent of the damage and loss of lives.

“We knew to negotiate and not expect the full amount. We started negotiations on a give and take,” he said.

Ngavirue also said the reaction from the chiefs is strange since they have representatives on the technical committee which is part of the official negotiating team that was duly informed.

True reconciliation

Meanwhile, on Friday, while announcing Germany’s admission of having committed genocide against the Nama and Ovaherero people, German foreign minister Heiko Maas said their goal is to find a common path to true reconciliation.

He said this includes naming the events of the German colonial era in present-day Namibia and in particular the atrocities in the period from 1904 to 1908 a genocide.

“In the light of Germany's historical and moral responsibility, we will ask Namibia and the descendants of the victims for forgiveness. Living reconciliation cannot be decreed. It is clear: The crimes of German colonial rule have long strained relations with Namibia. It cannot give a final line under the past. Acknowledging guilt and our plea for apology, however, is an important step in repairing crime and shaping the future together,” he said.

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