A faction of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority has renewed its call for recognition and reparations for the Ovaherero and Nama genocide, following engagements in Botswana, South Africa and Germany aimed at strengthening international support for the demand of the communities.
Leader of the faction Mutjinde Katjiua briefed the media on the engagements, which included meetings with German ambassadors in Botswana and South Africa, where Ovaherero communities settled after being displaced during the genocide.
Professor Katjiua said the authority wants the two countries to recognise Ovaherero people living within their borders and support their pursuit of reparations.
He said the communities remain grateful for the proposed €1.1 billion reparations package from the German government but continue to seek recognition and a process that addresses all their demands.
"Whether it is this government, or it is the extreme rightist government, or whether it is the future leftist government, our commitment to achieve restorative justice remains the same, and our fight will continue until justice is served. There is no difference. So, it will not be deterred."
The briefing also featured German Bundestag Member of Parliament Charlotte Neuhäuser of the Die Linke Party, who moved a motion on the recognition of the Ovaherero and Nama genocides and demands for reparations on 14 October 2026.
Neuhäuser said her party supports the communities' demands, stressing that the consequences of the past can no longer be ignored and that meaningful reconciliation requires more than symbolic gestures.
"Together, we tabled and debated a motion in the Bundestag that demands what is long overdue – the clear, unrestricted recognition of the German genocide(s) against the Ovaherero and Nama, between 1904 and 1908, at genocide, a sincere apology, and genuine reparations, not at development age, but it's legal and material redress."
Neuhäuser called for the return of land that remains under German ownership and pledged to continue advocating for the motion in Germany.
The Ovaherero Traditional Authority says it will continue engaging international stakeholders to build support for its position on reparations and recognition.