Germans expropriated farms – Nudo

OGONE TLHAGEWINDHOEKThe National Unity Democratic Organisation (Nudo) has denounced claims by a German Namibian farmer that farms were not expropriated by then German settlers.Making contributions on a recent Deutsche Welle debate on the draft genocide agreement, local farmer Harry Schneider-Waterberg said German settlers had never stolen land.Schneider-Waterberg believes his farms and others were bought fairly – much like other communities' properties over the last 100 years.“We have established a framework of laws, and within these laws, these farms have been bought legally,” he said during the debate as quoted by The Namibian.Nudo spokesperson Nocky Kaapehi said an ordinance had been imposed paving the way for the legal expropriation of land by German settlers.“Mr Schneider-Waterberg seems to forget the land and livestock expropriation Ordinance 151 of 1907. Ordinance 151 of 1907 expropriated all land and livestock of the Nama and Ovaherero people and sold it at huge subsidies to the new settler soldiers while the Nama and Ovaherero were kept in concentration camps,” he said.“Unfortunately, these historical facts are hidden to justify generational land ownership and generational landlessness,” he added.'Racist convenience'According to Kaapehi, when the British arrived in 1915, they closed the slave camps and created reserves from which to pool cheap labour. “That decision was an arrangement of racist convenience between the British and new settler Germans.”He added that thousands of German settlers grabbed land and cattle from local residents.He further encouraged Schneider-Waterberg to withdraw his statement, saying it was insensitive.“Germany stole land, and this is not the right time to come play with an angry nation. Imagine you own about 40 000 hectares of land in Namibia and you have the guts to post such an insensitive message. I plea that you withdraw that statement with immediate effect,” he said.

Germans expropriated farms – Nudo

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-23

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Germans expropriated farms – Nudo

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-23

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