OvaHerero and Nama descendants submitted petitions to South Africa’s presidency and the German Embassy in Pretoria on 2 October 2026. The action marks the 122nd anniversary of the 1904 extermination order and demands direct participation in ongoing genocide reparations talks.
Petitions Delivered to South Africa and Germany on the 122nd Anniversary
Descendants of the 1904–1908 colonial genocide in what is now Namibia took their campaign for historical redress directly to Pretoria on 2 October 2026. Operating through the OvaHerero Traditional Authority South Africa Office of the Chief, families and community advocates submitted a formal petition to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The document asks Pretoria to back the inclusion of victim descendants in reparation talks. An official stamp from the Presidency’s Internal Security division, dated 2 October 2026, authenticates receipt of the document sent to the South African Presidency, whereas the filing delivered to the German Embassy features a certified copy stamp originating from the Chancellery.
A parallel petition reached German Ambassador to South Africa Oliver Rentschler at the German Embassy in Pretoria. Both filings were timed to coincide with the 122nd anniversary of the extermination order issued against the OvaHerero by German General Lothar von Trotha on 2 October 1904. Tens of thousands of people were killed during the ensuing imperial campaign, while survivors fled across the Orange River into neighboring territories including South Africa and Botswana.
Gaborone Demonstration Mounts Further Pressure on Germany
The diplomatic push extended across the border into Botswana, where hundreds of descendants prepared to march to the German Embassy in Gaborone. Mutjinde Katjiua is expected to join the demonstration and deliver a petition to Germany’s diplomatic representative in Botswana.
“It is true that on Monday the 3rd, the Ovaherero and Nama will be petitioning the German Embassy in Botswana.”
Rupert Hambira, chairman of the Ovaherero Genocide Foundation in Botswana
Speaking in an interview with the Weekend Post, Rupert Hambira confirmed the planned demonstration and criticized Germany’s approach of negotiating primarily with the Namibian government rather than directly with representatives of the communities that endured the violence. Hambira called that approach childish and unprofessional,
noting that OvaHerero and Nama descendants in Botswana continue to bear the consequences of the atrocities, including the loss of property, language, and cultural traditions. He also urged members of the public to join the march, witness the petition’s delivery, and support their demand that descendants deserve some form of reparations for what happened.
“Decisions concerning the genocide, its consequences, and measures intended to address its legacy should not be made in the absence of those communities that continue to live with its consequences.”
OvaHerero and Nama petition to the German Ambassador
Reparations Advocacy Forum Rejects the 2021 Joint Declaration
Friction over representation centers on the 2021 joint declaration negotiated between the German and Namibian governments. The Genocide Reparations Advocacy Forum (Graf), established in June, issued an urgent appeal to German civil society in advance of a plenary debate in the German Bundestag to finalise the joint declaration, calling on German civil societies to stand against the bilateral agreement.
According to the advocacy forum, the debate must lead to concrete, determined, positive, and constructive action by the goodwill of German civil societies to persuade its government not to go ahead with the joint declaration, which has been rejected by many descendants of the survivors. Activists argue that the declaration is a development package and should not be considered reparations for OvaHerero and Nama communities, demanding that both governments abandon the unlawful instrument with immediate effect.
Historical Ties with South Africa Anchor the Current Appeal
Petitioners in Pretoria invoked decades of cross-border solidarity to bolster their case. They look back to the 1946 appeal made by Paramount Chief Hosea Kutako to Dr A.B. Xuma, who was then President-General of the ANC, seeking United Nations backing; this outreach produced a memorandum against incorporation and helped forge a tradition of mutual support between OvaHerero groups and South Africans that persisted through the anti-colonial and anti-apartheid campaigns.
Although Germany formally acknowledged in 2015 that the killings constituted genocide, descendants maintain that unresolved questions require their direct participation, calling on South Africa to support their quest for justice under the banner Nothing About Us, Without Us
.
