Hertta-Maria Amuteja
The Landless People’s Movement (LPM) has criticised President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah for failing to attend the annual Genocide Walk in Lüderitz on April 13.
The party’s policy unit chairperson, Lazarus Kairabeb, in a statement issued on Monday, said the president’s last-minute no-show signals a lack of political will to engage with communities seeking justice and reparations for the 1904-1908 genocide.
“This was supposed to be an opportunity to engage directly with the community on an issue that is so close to our hearts. The president’s absence is disappointing, but it will not deter us from continuing our fight for justice,” he said.
Kairabeb accused the government of consistently avoiding direct engagement with affected communities and relying on state sovereignty to exclude them from key discussions.
“Counting on sovereignty alone will bring this government to an embarrassing reality. Participation rights are human rights under international law, and Namibia cannot exclude affected communities from these negotiations simply because of political convenience,” said Kairabeb.
The LPM added that the absence reinforced a widening trust gap between the government and the communities most affected by the genocide.
Kairabeb argued that the state continues to bypass those who have lived through historical trauma in favour of top-down decisions that lack legitimacy.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah had previously affirmed the government’s position on the need for reparations from Germany. In a BBC interview last month, she reiterated the government’s demand for a formal apology and reparations, rejecting the €1.1 billion offered by Germany in 2021 as insufficient.
The deal, which spans 30 years, includes funding for various community projects in Namibia but has not been widely accepted as adequate compensation for the atrocities committed.
This disappointment mirrors a similar sentiment voiced last year by the Nama Traditional Leaders Association (NTLA). In March 2024, the NTLA called on former president Nangolo Mbumba to listen more actively to the demands of the Nama and Ovaherero communities.
The NTLA insisted that the government should not approach the discussions with a predetermined stance and urged Mbumba to listen to what the communities actually want, rather than impose decisions from above.
At the time, the NTLA extended an invitation to both Mbumba and Nandi-Ndaitwah to attend the annual genocide memorial walk and the unveiling of a memorial tombstone at Shark Island in Lüderitz.
Efforts to reach presidential spokesperson Alfredo Hengari for comment were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
