Herero genocide debate wraps up

THE debate on the Herero genocide a century ago ended in the National Assembly on Thursday with altogether 13 contributors having taken part.

Herero Paramount Chief Kuaima Riruako tabled the motion last month and he will give a response in the House this week. Most contributors delved into the past and quoted from history books and oral evidence, but rendered few proposals on how to either obtain reparations from Berlin or special development projects for the descendants of affected communities.DTA Vice President Philemon Moongo said it was “unpatriotic” to block the motion.He proposed that not only Germany should pay for reparations, but South Africa should do the same.”Let Germany and South Africa pay the damage caused (in Namibia) by the war waged here, where properties were destroyed and human life killed illegally,” Moongo said.”Let the Swapo Party also pay for injustice done during the liberation struggle.Some (party) members lost their lives like during the bombing of the bank at Oshakati,” he added, stirring unrest in Swapo ranks.”I was there in Oshakati at that time and a Swapo cadre was arrested who admitted the bomb blast, but he passed away (before being tried),” Moongo said.Swapo MP Jeremia Nambinga demanded that Moongo withdraw that statement.”It was not Swapo,” he said.Moongo then withdrew the remark, “but only because there is no proof in court (because the accused died),” he added.”Everybody who committed crimes against Namibians must pay, including Swapo – let Swapo pay for injustice they committed, otherwise we demand a fair hearing according to the Namibian Constitution or the international law on humanity,” Moongo demanded.Environment and Tourism Minister Willem Konjore told the House he was a great-grandson of Jakob Marengo, a Nama leader who fought German colonial troops in the Karas Mountains 100 years ago, “employing scientific guerrilla tactics”.Seeking redress from Germany should include all communities affected.”It must be done with the full knowledge and support of our Government, because we have a responsibility towards all Namibians, irrespective of their ethnic background, political affiliations or their status in society,” Konjore said.McHenry Venaani of the DTA said no cheque book had the power to compensate for the suffering of the Herero who died and the after-effects of those who survived.”We cannot be committed to a sum of money, but to a moral admission of (the) wrongs and an ethical and moral redress to our incommensurate losses,” Venaani said.”We demand a dialogue for us to express our profound losses and to pave a new chapter in the future.Our Government has not expressed itself clearly on the matter and must do more than just agree on the issue.It must take moral leadership to engage the Germans in this and to allow affected groups to take part in the official negotiations,” he added.Venaani proposed setting up a special parliamentary committee to explore the best approach on dialogue and to prepare a preliminary round of talks between Germany and Namibia should begin.Kazenambo Kazenambo, Deputy Minister of Regional and Local Government, said it was counterproductive to avoid the reparations issue and “play ostrich politics”, as the human rights violations committed by German colonial troops would not go away.”The more you try to avoid it, the more you harden views and contribute to the creation of negative perspectives which will undermine the policy of national reconciliation in this country,” said Kazenambo, who hails from Botswana and came to Namibia after 1990.”Let us not wait to arrive at a situation where those who feel marginalised and sidelined, who are living in poverty-stricken conditions in former Bantu reserves and the underclass in the urban areas will explode uncontrolled which may harm German economic interests in this country in the future,” Kazenambo warned.He called on the Namibian Government to ratify the UN Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948 and to make it a criminal offence for anybody to claim “that there was no extermination order against the Herero and who says that Germany has not committed an act of genocide against Namas, Damaras and other Namibians in general”.The last speaker, Henk Mudge of the Republican Party, said the wrongs of the past should be corrected.”Germany can invest millions in Namibia, but it will not resolve this issue, so Germany should consult with Namibia on the reparations demand.There is no other solution,” Mudge added.Riruako is expected to deliver his response this week.Most contributors delved into the past and quoted from history books and oral evidence, but rendered few proposals on how to either obtain reparations from Berlin or special development projects for the descendants of affected communities.DTA Vice President Philemon Moongo said it was “unpatriotic” to block the motion.He proposed that not only Germany should pay for reparations, but South Africa should do the same.”Let Germany and South Africa pay the damage caused (in Namibia) by the war waged here, where properties were destroyed and human life killed illegally,” Moongo said.”Let the Swapo Party also pay for injustice done during the liberation struggle.Some (party) members lost their lives like during the bombing of the bank at Oshakati,” he added, stirring unrest in Swapo ranks.”I was there in Oshakati at that time and a Swapo cadre was arrested who admitted the bomb blast, but he passed away (before being tried),” Moongo said.Swapo MP Jeremia Nambinga demanded that Moongo withdraw that statement.”It was not Swapo,” he said.Moongo then withdrew the remark, “but only because there is no proof in court (because the accused died),” he added.”Everybody who committed crimes against Namibians must pay, including Swapo – let Swapo pay for injustice they committed, otherwise we demand a fair hearing according to the Namibian Constitution or the international law on humanity,” Moongo demanded.Environment and Tourism Minister Willem Konjore told the House he was a great-grandson of Jakob Marengo, a Nama leader who fought German colonial troops in the Karas Mountains 100 years ago, “employing scientific guerrilla tactics”.Seeking redress from Germany should include all communities affected.”It must be done with the full knowledge and support of our Government, because we have a responsibility towards all Namibians, irrespective of their ethnic background, political affiliations or their status in society,” Konjore said.McHenry Venaani of the DTA said no cheque book had the power to compensate for the suffering of the Herero who died and the after-effects of those who survived.”We cannot be committed to a sum of money, but to a moral admission of (the) wrongs and an ethical and moral redress to our incommensurate losses,” Venaani said.”We demand a dialogue for us to express our profound losses and to pave a new chapter in the future.Our Government has not expressed itself clearly on the matter and must do more than just agree on the issue.It must take moral leadership to engage the Germans in this and to allow affected groups to take part in the official negotiations,” he added.Venaani proposed setting up a special parliamentary committee to explore the best approach on dialogue and to prepare a preliminary round of talks between Germany and Namibia should begin.Kazenambo Kazenambo, Deputy Minister of Regional and Local Government, said it was counterproductive to avoid the reparations issue and “play ostrich politics”, as the human rights violations committed by German colonial troops would not go away.”The more you try to avoid it, the more you harden views and contribute to the creation of negative perspectives which will undermine the policy of national reconciliation in this country,” said Kazenambo, who hails from Botswana and came to Namibia after 1990.”Let us not wait to arrive at a situation where those who feel marginalised and sidelined, who are living in poverty-stricken conditions in former Bantu reserves and the underclass in the urban areas will explode uncontrolled which may harm German e
conomic interests in this country in the future,” Kazenambo warned.He called on the Namibian Government to ratify the UN Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948 and to make it a criminal offence for anybody to claim “that there was no extermination order against the Herero and who says that Germany has not committed an act of genocide against Namas, Damaras and other Namibians in general”.The last speaker, Henk Mudge of the Republican Party, said the wrongs of the past should be corrected.”Germany can invest millions in Namibia, but it will not resolve this issue, so Germany should consult with Namibia on the reparations demand.There is no other solution,” Mudge added.Riruako is expected to deliver his response this week.