The entire Namibian nation stands to benefit from projects that would emanate from a respectable genocide deal and not only the Ovaherero and Nama people, who were targeted for extermination by colonial Germany.

This was the position of the Maharero Royal Traditional Authority, Zeraeua Royal Traditional Authority, Kambazembi Royal Traditional Authority, Mureti Royal Traditional Authority and the Nama Genocide 1904-08 Development Trust during a joint media conference here on Monday.

“This deal is not only confined to the Nama and Herero people. For example if a road is constructed between Okahandja and Omaruru, every Namibian is going to make use of the road,” Manase Zeraeua said.

This was the first public pronouncement by traditional leaders from affected communities since the passing of staunch opponents of the German deal and influential leaders, including ex-Cabinet minister Kazenambo Kazenambo; Ovaherero paramount chief Advocate Vekuii Rukoro and Ovambanderu chief Kilus Munjuku Nguvauva III.

The group also indicated that the current drafted N.dollars 18 billion deal is not worthy of the lives of the victims of the genocide and their descendants and should be rejected in the National Assembly, which resumes on Tuesday.

“As far as the 1.1 billion Euro offer for projects is concerned, it is our stance from a moral and restorative justice perspective that it is minuscule and an insult to the decedents of the victims of the 1904-08 Ovaherero Nama genocide. It is nowhere close to the figures we calculated and does not even come close to the United Nations’ calculations of human life,” Zeraeua said.

He noted that the traditional authorities are demanding nothing less than N.dollars 8 trillion as compensation for land, livestock, displacement, loss of lives and culture, adding that the demand is a sharp decrease from the initial N.dollars 18 trillion the communities had put forth in 2001 for their losses.

“We have also done our own research to find the capabilities of the German government to pay. Germany with the stroke of a pen is able to pay. Germany is the biggest economy in the world, basically what we are demanding is a drop in the ocean in terms of the budget of the German government,” Zeraeua stated.

He also requested that the Namibian Government set aside 28 May as a genocide remembrance day.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency