Story perspectives

Ovaherero, Nama Reject German Reconciliation Deal Over Land, Hunting Issues

8/12/2026

Summary

White Elite Dominates

The trophy hunting sector remains almost entirely white-controlled, with only one of 555 operators listed as non-white in 2013.
About one percent of Namibia’s population, mainly German-speaking, controls roughly 70 % of commercial freehold land.
A 2013 Namibia Tourism Board project identified seven black-owned farms for hunting revenue, of which three now operate.
The Namibia Professional Hunting Association lobbies for policies and markets hunting as conservation, although its website lists only trophies.

Summary

Ovaherero Reject Pact

The German federal government tabled a reconciliation agreement that includes land-acquisition provisions for Namibia.
The Ovaherero and Nama groups rejected the pact as inadequate, insincere, and drafted without their participation.
Land-reform remains stalled, leaving white-dominated rural enclaves socially isolated and resistant to a non-racial shift.
Critics note that roughly a quarter of Namibia’s freehold land is used for trophy hunting, a link the agreement ignores while restitution promises stay unmet.

History

Historical Context

Between 1904 and 1908 the German Empire, under Governor Lothar von Trotha, exterminated roughly 40,000–80,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama, confiscating their land. After South Africa’s mandate and Namibia’s 1990 independence, land remained racially skewed. Germany acknowledged the genocide in 2015 and offered €1.1 billion in 2021, a deal the Landless People’s Movement challenged in 2023.

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White Elite Dominates

The trophy hunting sector remains almost entirely white-controlled, with only one of 555 operators listed as non-white in 2013.
About one percent of Namibia’s population, mainly German-speaking, controls roughly 70 % of commercial freehold land.
A 2013 Namibia Tourism Board project identified seven black-owned farms for hunting revenue, of which three now operate.
The Namibia Professional Hunting Association lobbies for policies and markets hunting as conservation, although its website lists only trophies.

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