“Ovaherero commemorations: A declaration of heroism – Katjiua

2026-07-30 BY CORRESPONDENT

Zebaldt Ngaruka

Claimant Paramount Chief of the Ovaherero Traditional Authority (OTA) faction, Mutjinde Katjiua, said commemorative events of the Ovaherero community are […] a remembrance of heroes.

The traditional leader spoke at the recent 123rd Ovaherero Annual Commemoration Day in Okahandja, honouring those who bore leadership through war, dispossession, exile, colonial violence and political manipulation.

“We remember Samuel Maharero, who recognised that his generation’s mission was liberation from German occupation. We remember Hosea Kutako, who took up the task of reconstructing the Herero nation and contributed to Namibia’s wider liberation,” he said. […]

“We pay homage to Kuaima Riruako, who brought the question of genocide and reparations before the national conscience. We remember Advocate Vekuii Rukoro, who carried forward the unfinished business of restorative justice with urgency and conviction,” Katjiua said.

He highlighted that the genocide from 1904 to 1908 was not only an attack on bodies, but also an attack on land, livestock, language, families, leadership, culture and identity. This genocide, he added, scattered the Ovaherero across Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Angola and beyond.

[…]

Despite everything, Katjiua stated that the fire continued to burn; Ovaherero endured, along with their names, language, the red, green, and white flags, the dress, horse procession, songs, prayers and oral histories.

[…]

The vision

[…]

Katjiua touched on the Joint Declaration (JD) between the Namibian government and Germany, reiterating his strong stance of rejection.

“[…] We reject any process that speaks about victims without victims, that converts reparations into grants, and that treats the descendants of genocide as passive beneficiaries rather than rights-bearing communities,” he stated.

[…]

“The country must honour the spirit of the 2006 National Assembly resolution, which recognised that affected communities must be directly involved in dialogue on genocide and reparations.

It must also align with the continental and global reparations movement, as expressed in the Accra Proclamation on Reparations,” he added.

[…].”

• Full report “Ovaherero commemorations: A declaration of heroism – Katjiua” on the website of the New Era (last checked in July 2026).

• See also the ‘OvaHerero Commemoration Day’ in Okahandja, 24 to 26 July 2026, by the OvaHerero Traditional Authority (OTA) under rivalling Paramount Chief Mutjinde Katjiua, in the ‘Perspectives’ section of this website.

• Note also the OvaHerero Commemoration ‘Otjiserandu’ in Okahandja, 17 to 19 July 2026, by the OvaHerero Traditional Authority (OTA) under rivalling Paramount Chief Hozé Riruako, in the ‘Perspectives’ section of this website.

• See the Joint Declaration of the Governments of Germany and Namibia in the ‘Primary Sources’ section of this website.

Editor’s note:

The OvaHerero Traditional Authority (OTA) under Paramount Chief Hozé Riruako held its commemoration ‘Otjiserandu’ on 17 to 19 July 2026. Otjiserandu means Red Flag.

The date refers to the day of Paramount Chief Hosea Kutako’s passing. Kutako died on 18 July 1970 at the age of 100 in the Aminuis Reserve (see also the Wikipedia article, that may contain unverified information).

The OvaHerero Traditional Authority (OTA) under Paramount Chief Mutjinde Katjiua originally scheduled their ‘OvaHerero Commemoration Day’ on the same weekend. The event premises of the two OTA factions are located right next to each other. To avoid conflict, Katjiua’s faction postponed its event to the weekend 24 – 26 July 2026.

The original annual Red Flag commemoration was held on a weekend close to 26 August. Established and driven by late Paramount Chief Hosea Kutako, it commemorated the burial of the mortal remains of Paramount Chief Samuel Maharero.

Samuel Maharero died on 14 March 1923 in exile in Serowe, Bechuanaland (today Botswana). His remains were repatriated to South West Africa (today Namibia) and interred in Okahandja from 23 to 26 August 1923 (see also the article on Wikipedia, that may contain unverified information).

The procession of the original Red Flag Commemoration first visited the graves of Samuel Maharero, his father Kamaharero and his grandfather Tjamuaha. The key to the now redesigned burial sites is apparently held by the Royal House Maharero. Neither of the two OTA factions visited these burial sites during their processions.