Hereros won’t give up on war reparations demand: Rukoro

FORMER Attorney General Advocate Vekuii Rukoro says that the Namibian Government’s “ambivalent” attitude is unlikely to stop the Ovaherero people from demanding war reparations from Germany.

He warned that it would be a “huge mistake” on the part of the former colonial power if it took comfort in Government’s attitude because it would not deter the Ovaherero from their “justified demand”. Rukoro was addressing a fund-raising gathering on Wednesday evening for this year’s centenary commemoration of the 1904 genocide, which wiped out two-thirds of the Ovaherero population.”Both governments can be assured that successive generations of the Ovaherero will continue to intensify their demands for justice, fairness and dignity,” Rukoro said.”The current ostrich politics by the German government that they will bury their heads in the sand and wish that the issue dies away will not work,” he said.The former AG, who now heads insurance giant Sanlam Namibia, was speaking in his personal capacity as a descendant of the survivors of the German-Herero war of 1904-07.Germany has so far only expressed “deep regret” for the brutal killing of Ovaherero, but has ruled out paying compensation and has refused to offer a formal apology.”History can not be undone, we can give back to the victims and their descendants the dignity and honour of which they were robbed,” German Ambassador Wolfgang Massing said at a commemoration of the 1904 uprising, early this year.Though ambiguous on the issue, the Namibian Government, which enjoys cordial relations with Germany, is said to be arguing that the former colonial ruler was more than compensating for its past deeds with “generous” development aid to this country.Rukoro contended that a justifiable case for reparation could be premised on a number of factors, such as the wholesale expropriation of the Ovaherero’s land and livestock without compensation.He said these, together with the deliberate extermination of hundreds of thousands of Ovaherero and subsequent sexual and physical brutalities against them, constituted a solid moral and legal indictment against Germany.The lawyer charged that for Germany to justify the payment to the Jews while denying such payment to Ovaherero people solely on the basis of the 1948 Genocide Convention bordered on racism.”[This] is not only an insult to the collective intelligence of mankind, but is also a blatantly racist statement which deserves to be put on the agenda of the appropriate organs of the United Nations for public debate and adjudication,” he said.The Ovaherero are planning to use a series of year-long commemorative activities to intensify their push for reparation through a US$4 billion lawsuit filed in the US federal court against the German government and some German companies.Rukoro was addressing a fund-raising gathering on Wednesday evening for this year’s centenary commemoration of the 1904 genocide, which wiped out two-thirds of the Ovaherero population.”Both governments can be assured that successive generations of the Ovaherero will continue to intensify their demands for justice, fairness and dignity,” Rukoro said.”The current ostrich politics by the German government that they will bury their heads in the sand and wish that the issue dies away will not work,” he said.The former AG, who now heads insurance giant Sanlam Namibia, was speaking in his personal capacity as a descendant of the survivors of the German-Herero war of 1904-07.Germany has so far only expressed “deep regret” for the brutal killing of Ovaherero, but has ruled out paying compensation and has refused to offer a formal apology.”History can not be undone, we can give back to the victims and their descendants the dignity and honour of which they were robbed,” German Ambassador Wolfgang Massing said at a commemoration of the 1904 uprising, early this year.Though ambiguous on the issue, the Namibian Government, which enjoys cordial relations with Germany, is said to be arguing that the former colonial ruler was more than compensating for its past deeds with “generous” development aid to this country.Rukoro contended that a justifiable case for reparation could be premised on a number of factors, such as the wholesale expropriation of the Ovaherero’s land and livestock without compensation.He said these, together with the deliberate extermination of hundreds of thousands of Ovaherero and subsequent sexual and physical brutalities against them, constituted a solid moral and legal indictment against Germany.The lawyer charged that for Germany to justify the payment to the Jews while denying such payment to Ovaherero people solely on the basis of the 1948 Genocide Convention bordered on racism.”[This] is not only an insult to the collective intelligence of mankind, but is also a blatantly racist statement which deserves to be put on the agenda of the appropriate organs of the United Nations for public debate and adjudication,” he said.The Ovaherero are planning to use a series of year-long commemorative activities to intensify their push for reparation through a US$4 billion lawsuit filed in the US federal court against the German government and some German companies.