Ombara Hoze Riruako of a faction of the OvaHerero Traditional Authority and President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah discussed ancestral land issues, historical genocide reparations, veteran recognition, and national unity during a courtesy visit.
 
Dr. Riruako, with his delegation, also advocated for land rights without disrupting existing land ownership.
 
From the onset, President Nandi-Ndaitwah welcomed the delegation by stressing the value of unity and sharing ideas on matters of national importance.
 
During their discussion, Dr. Riruako proposed the introduction of a quota system in the National Development Plan to allocate land to communities that historically lost their land, alongside policies promoting restitution and inclusion.
 
He noted that Namibia still has large areas of unoccupied land that could benefit the community of OvaHerero.
 
The delegation also discussed access to land through restitution rather than relying on German reparations and the long struggle of over 80 years for recognition and reparations for the Herero and Nama genocide under German colonial rule.

“The Namas have lost 10,000 people. Now, if you look at the collateral damage inflicted on other Namibians, how can a bullet choose between a dark-complexioned Ovambo like you or a Herero like me? You can’t do that. Some people fought and died in the skirmishes, including the San and other Namibians. What I am saying is that this is not the time for us to look for bigotry, racism or tribalism. It is a time to bring these nations back to the founding fathers’ vision of one nation, one people, and a unitary state. At the same time, we must ensure that the pride of our people, especially those who have been directly affected, is also addressed and reflected in our NDP6 and other national programmes. So it was a very good meeting,” Dr. Riruako explained.

Another issue he raised was recognition of traditional leaders, pointing out that his traditional authority is recognised, but he personally is not recognised as a traditional leader.

“The fact is that we are bringing in the contributions and synergies of some traditional leaders. However, the issue of saying that this chief is unrecognised and that one is recognised remains a concern. I think this is a matter that even the line minister is now willing to discuss or perhaps give impetus to ensure progress. Like me, I represent the largest number of Herero-speaking people, more than 70% of the population.”
 
Also present at the meeting was 95-year-old Simeon Murangi, one of five surviving members of a group of 155 fighters sent for military training by Chief Hosea Kutako in Botswana.
 
 Dr. Riruako made an appeal for recognition for the liberation war veterans.