Ovaherero claim Windhoek
In leaked position paper the Ovaherero claim Usakos, the Khomas Hochland, including Windhoek, and Grootfontein, among other areas, as their ancestral land.
The Ovaherero Traditional Authority has claimed the bulk of central Namibia as part of its pre-colonial land.
This is according to its official land position paper that was leaked recently ahead of the country's second land conference slated for 1 to 5 October.
The Ovaherero position paper claims they occupied Usakos, the Khomas Hochland, including Windhoek, and Grootfontein before these areas fell into colonial hands.
The Ovaherero also claim the area east of Windhoek, beyond Gobabis, including the area south of the White Nossob River up to its confluence with the Black Nossob River.
According to the position paper, Ovaherero chief Ombara Manasse Tjiseseta and his people occupied Omaruru, Otjimbingwe, Usakos, Otjitambi, Outjo, Otavi, Kalkfeld and Ombondeze, now known as Wilhelmstal.
It says further that the Damara inhabited areas of Windhoek, Spitzkoppe, Brandberg and west of Otjimbingwe, while they also inhabited some areas around Tsumeb and Otavi.
Traditional authority spokesperson Uazuva Kaumbi told Namibian Sun that the document would be launched officially once paramount chief Vekuii Rukoro returned from New York.
Rukoro is currently in the United States, where he attended court proceedings that form part of a class action lawsuit by the Nama and Ovaherero genocide descendants against the German government.
The paper says that in some parts of the country, the land inhabited by the Ovaherero overlapped with areas where others lived, except the Witbooi Nama, who inhabited the area around Hoornkranz and Naukluft.
Also, the position paper says the Rehoboth Baster community was settled in the Rehoboth area after an agreement between Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi and Ombara Maharero kaTjamuaha in 1870.
“A significant overlap existed between the Khauas Khoi Nama at the confluence of the White and Black Nossob south of Gobabis. The Khauas Khoi had their capital at Naossanabis.”
The paper also states that in the northwest, the Swartbooi Nama inhabited the areas of Kamanjab while the Topnaars inhabited Sesfontein and the San Etosha, as well as the area stretching from north of Otavi and Tsumeb up to the southern border of the Ovambo areas north of Etosha.
It also highlighted that the San tribes occupied areas from Tsumkwe towards the Batswana people of Tsau in present-day Botswana.
The German and South Africa colonial administrations violently and fraudulently dispossessed indigenous Namibians, especially the Ovaherero people, of their ancestral land and livestock, the paper claims.
Land dispossession
It said German settlers, including government officials, companies and traders, bought land fraudulently at prices ranging from 50 German pfennigs to 1 deutschmark per hectare.
The position paper also indicated that by 1902-03 land ownership changed dramatically and of the entire 83.5 million hectares, only 31.4 million hectares were left in the hands of native Namibians.
The remaining 52.1 million, which translates to 72% of the land, was reportedly in the hands of German settlers, while 29.2 million hectares were now owned by concession companies, 19.2 million hectares by the colonial state and 3.7 million hectares by individual white settlers.
“Of the 31.4 million hectares of land owned by Africans, approximately 13 million were inhabited by the Ovaherero people. Moreover, the construction of the railway line from Swakopmund and Windhoek in 1903 removed 3.5 million hectares from the land owned by the Ovaherero people.”
The paper also claims that the Ovaherero possessed more than 150 000 head of cattle.
However, they lost about 60 000 cattle in the rinderpest epidemic of 1896, which left them with about 90 000 cattle.
Between 1902 and 1904 an additional 10 000 cattle were fraudulently transferred to Germans.
“The value of German cattle in early 1904 was valued at about 14 million deutschmark. Between 1907 and 1912 the Ovaherero were not permitted to farm with livestock.”
JEMIMA BEUKES
This is according to its official land position paper that was leaked recently ahead of the country's second land conference slated for 1 to 5 October.
The Ovaherero position paper claims they occupied Usakos, the Khomas Hochland, including Windhoek, and Grootfontein before these areas fell into colonial hands.
The Ovaherero also claim the area east of Windhoek, beyond Gobabis, including the area south of the White Nossob River up to its confluence with the Black Nossob River.
According to the position paper, Ovaherero chief Ombara Manasse Tjiseseta and his people occupied Omaruru, Otjimbingwe, Usakos, Otjitambi, Outjo, Otavi, Kalkfeld and Ombondeze, now known as Wilhelmstal.
It says further that the Damara inhabited areas of Windhoek, Spitzkoppe, Brandberg and west of Otjimbingwe, while they also inhabited some areas around Tsumeb and Otavi.
Traditional authority spokesperson Uazuva Kaumbi told Namibian Sun that the document would be launched officially once paramount chief Vekuii Rukoro returned from New York.
Rukoro is currently in the United States, where he attended court proceedings that form part of a class action lawsuit by the Nama and Ovaherero genocide descendants against the German government.
The paper says that in some parts of the country, the land inhabited by the Ovaherero overlapped with areas where others lived, except the Witbooi Nama, who inhabited the area around Hoornkranz and Naukluft.
Also, the position paper says the Rehoboth Baster community was settled in the Rehoboth area after an agreement between Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi and Ombara Maharero kaTjamuaha in 1870.
“A significant overlap existed between the Khauas Khoi Nama at the confluence of the White and Black Nossob south of Gobabis. The Khauas Khoi had their capital at Naossanabis.”
The paper also states that in the northwest, the Swartbooi Nama inhabited the areas of Kamanjab while the Topnaars inhabited Sesfontein and the San Etosha, as well as the area stretching from north of Otavi and Tsumeb up to the southern border of the Ovambo areas north of Etosha.
It also highlighted that the San tribes occupied areas from Tsumkwe towards the Batswana people of Tsau in present-day Botswana.
The German and South Africa colonial administrations violently and fraudulently dispossessed indigenous Namibians, especially the Ovaherero people, of their ancestral land and livestock, the paper claims.
Land dispossession
It said German settlers, including government officials, companies and traders, bought land fraudulently at prices ranging from 50 German pfennigs to 1 deutschmark per hectare.
The position paper also indicated that by 1902-03 land ownership changed dramatically and of the entire 83.5 million hectares, only 31.4 million hectares were left in the hands of native Namibians.
The remaining 52.1 million, which translates to 72% of the land, was reportedly in the hands of German settlers, while 29.2 million hectares were now owned by concession companies, 19.2 million hectares by the colonial state and 3.7 million hectares by individual white settlers.
“Of the 31.4 million hectares of land owned by Africans, approximately 13 million were inhabited by the Ovaherero people. Moreover, the construction of the railway line from Swakopmund and Windhoek in 1903 removed 3.5 million hectares from the land owned by the Ovaherero people.”
The paper also claims that the Ovaherero possessed more than 150 000 head of cattle.
However, they lost about 60 000 cattle in the rinderpest epidemic of 1896, which left them with about 90 000 cattle.
Between 1902 and 1904 an additional 10 000 cattle were fraudulently transferred to Germans.
“The value of German cattle in early 1904 was valued at about 14 million deutschmark. Between 1907 and 1912 the Ovaherero were not permitted to farm with livestock.”
JEMIMA BEUKES
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