A century of life passes

THE Okahandja district lost one of its oldest residents last week with the death of 101-year-old Heinrich Kahere.

Born in 1905 during the Herero genocide to a Herero mother and a German father, Kahere was respected in his community for the stories he told of his experiences during the apartheid years and the Second World War, and the stories passed on by his mother of how they fled from German troops during the genocide. “He was a Christian with a very good sense of humour, and until the day he died, he never lost his senses,” recalls a community member, Timo Utjiwa.”He loved to talk, to teach young people about the past and where they came from,” Utjiwa continues, “and he’s always took part during the genocide commemorations as one of the Red Flag troops.”Explaining why the name Heinrich was given to such a proud Herero-speaking man, Utjiwa recalls one of the stories told by his uncle, of how his mother used to work in the kitchen of a German man whose first name was Heinrich, while her husband worked on his farm.Only after his mother gave birth to a boy with a light complexion was the truth of his conception revealed.After the start of the genocide, which lasted until 1908, Heinrich’s mother, with the boy on her back, managed to evade capture for a while, hiding in ditches and water pans.In the end, however, they ended up in the German concentration camps along with many others who didn’t manage to flee into Botswana.Kahere was not married and had no children.He lived with his sister’s grandchild.”He managed to see most of Namibia in his youth, while he did contract work in such places as Luederitz and even in South Africa,” Utjiwa says.”The funny thing about his death is that he told us on (Easter) Sunday, ‘Jesus will awake tomorrow, but I’m getting old’.”His family took this as a sign that he was bidding farewell, Utjiwa says.”He was a Christian with a very good sense of humour, and until the day he died, he never lost his senses,” recalls a community member, Timo Utjiwa.”He loved to talk, to teach young people about the past and where they came from,” Utjiwa continues, “and he’s always took part during the genocide commemorations as one of the Red Flag troops.”Explaining why the name Heinrich was given to such a proud Herero-speaking man, Utjiwa recalls one of the stories told by his uncle, of how his mother used to work in the kitchen of a German man whose first name was Heinrich, while her husband worked on his farm.Only after his mother gave birth to a boy with a light complexion was the truth of his conception revealed.After the start of the genocide, which lasted until 1908, Heinrich’s mother, with the boy on her back, managed to evade capture for a while, hiding in ditches and water pans.In the end, however, they ended up in the German concentration camps along with many others who didn’t manage to flee into Botswana.Kahere was not married and had no children.He lived with his sister’s grandchild.”He managed to see most of Namibia in his youth, while he did contract work in such places as Luederitz and even in South Africa,” Utjiwa says.”The funny thing about his death is that he told us on (Easter) Sunday, ‘Jesus will awake tomorrow, but I’m getting old’.”His family took this as a sign that he was bidding farewell, Utjiwa says.