Swanu threatens to invade land

• CHARMAINE NGATJIHEUE and SHELLEYGAN PETERSEN

OPPOSITION political party Swanu has threatened to invade land lost during the 1904 genocide without compensation.

Speaking to The Namibian over the weekend, Swanu director of political bureau Issaskar Hiakaere said former colonial master Germany should open up on candid discussions with the dispossessed Ovaherero and Nama communities.

“The way the land was forcefully taken, that is how it’ll also be returned. Through the barrel of the gun, if need be. The Germans’ fathers and parents came here and fought us and we didn’t have guns at all. So the same way, we are going to use our bare hands also to try and get our land back,” he threatened.

Hiakaere said there is a need to sit to discuss the injustices suffered by Namibians during the 1904-1908 genocide and land seizures.

His sentiments come in the wake of the Ancestral Land Foundation of Namibia handing over a petition to the governor of Otjozondjupa region, James Uerikua, challenging the notion that local Germans acquired their land in Namibia legally.

The petition also challenges sentiments by German-speaking Namibian farmer Harry Schneider-Waterberg saying settlers who came to Namibia acquired their land legally.

Hiakaere said Germans who own land in Namibia did not come with it.

“If one feels that no, I’m not going to talk to you, then its necessity knows no bounds. We are mindful of the fact that Namibia is a peaceful country and people should not take advantage of the peace, otherwise we can go beyond the bounds,” he said.

He said Swanu believes in land being given back to those who lost it.

“If it is not us who are going to make sure that our land is returned to us, our grandchildren will definitely make sure it is returned,” he said.

Hiakaere said his party is also against the genocide agreement signed between the government and Germany last year, allocating N$18 billion as compensation for the atrocities of 1904-1908.

“We are not going to accept that and that is why we were not party to the second land conference because if we are to sit at the table and talk about an issue, it should be balanced,” he stressed.

Swanu secretary of natural resources Tjiunomuinjo Kauahuma likened the living conditions of the previously disadvantaged black population to those in concentration camps.

“The place we live in are called reserves. They have been reserved for us to live in. Imagine, 100 years from now, our animals will die because they are fenced off in that small kraal. It is our responsibility to struggle for our next generation. The white people are in harmony, they have arable land so their children are rich. In order to save the next generation, the time for us to act is now,” he said.

The Ancestral Land Foundation of Namibia wants Schneider-Waterberg to apologise within 30 days from the day he received the petition.

“Schneider-Waterberg consciously and willfully made those reckless and to create tension among the land-dispossessed [communities] and to deliberately undermine them, hence, he has not made any effort to retract those utterances and/or apologise,” said the foundation’s Jarri Tjeja-Tjatindi.

Swanu also wants the government to pronounce itself on what Schneider-Waterberg said.

Meanwhile, Ovaherero Traditional Authority chief from the Okakarara district, chief Barman Kangundue, said there is a need to shun violence and promote dialogue among the interested parties in the land issue.

“The government should pull up its socks. There is a need for the government to intervene and avoid any possible violence. There is a need to bring unity between the Ovaherero/Nama and German people. The government should deal with the issue before it goes out of hand and people resort to other means,” Kangundue said.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.