When President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah took her seat in Accra at the High-Level Consultative Conference on Reparatory Justice, she did so under the banner of global solidarity.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with pan-African leaders, she lauded landmark resolutions declaring historical atrocities as the “gravest crimes against humanity”.
Yet, to the traumatized descendants of the Ovaherero and Nama communities back home, this international posturing is not leadership—it is a masterclass in political hypocrisy.
The contrast is stark and painful.
While President Nandi-Ndaitwah champions the global cause of reparatory justice in Accra, her administration continues to stifle and suppress the legitimate claims of her own citizens at home.
The German Myth and the Lie of the Joint Declaration
For years, the Namibian government has colluded with Berlin to keep the true victims of the 1904–1908 genocide at arm’s length. The state continues to push the deeply flawed Joint Declaration—presenting it as a vehicle for reparations when, in reality, it is a betrayal of the victims’ descendants.
The hypocrisy runs deep:
The “Today’s Perspective” Insult: The German government has notoriously maintained the legal fiction that the extermination of the Herero and Nama did not constitute “genocide” at the time of execution (1904–1908) because international legal frameworks did not exist, subtly implying the victims were not considered human under the colonial laws of the era. To Berlin, it is only from “today’s perspective” that it can be labeled as such.
Aid Packages Masquerading as Reparations: The proposed €1.1 billion “reconstruction and development” package, spread over 30 years, is a pittance that completely avoids the legal admission of liability and the payment of true reparations.
Selling Out the Descendants: By continuing to engage with this patronizing framework, the Namibian government effectively legitimizes the colonial master’s terms, acting as a buffer for Germany rather than a champion for its own people.
Dictating the Agenda Without the Victims
No genuine process of healing or reparatory justice can occur when the state paternalistically negotiates on behalf of the victims while actively shuting them out of the room. The African Union resolutions on reparations make it clear that affected communities must be at the center of determining their own healing and compensation.
Therefore, the descendants of the victims of the 1904–1908 genocide demand an immediate end to this diplomatic theater:
Desist from Misleading the Public: The President must stop presenting the Joint Declaration as a success or an agreement that caters to actual reparations.
Halt the Current Negotiations: The current bilateral process with Germany is compromised and must be halted.
Call a National Consultative Conference: We demand a comprehensive national conference that directly engages the Ovaherero and Nama traditional leadership and civil society.
Only through a transparent, victimled national platform can Namibia recalibrate its strategy and set a sovereign negotiating agenda—one that aligns with the very principles of self-determination and reparatory justice that President Nandi-Ndaitwah so eagerly promotes abroad. True justice cannot be negotiated in secret agreements designed to spare the feelings of colonial powers. It is time to bring the spirit of Accra home to Windhoek.
Opinion piece by Rev. Hirukevi Ratauka Kaapama
