Sacred sites require protection: Ngurare

OTJINENE, 29 MAY (NAMPA) – Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has called on the Namibian communities to preserve genocide sites such as Ozombuzovindimba, Omuti Ngauzepo and other historical locations across the country.
The premier made this call during the country’s commemoration of the Genocide Remembrance Day event held at Ozombuzovindimba Cultural Heritage Site in Otjinene in the Omaheke Region on Thursday.
Ozombuzovindimba is the exact location where German General Lothar von Trotha issued the infamous extermination order against the Ovaherero and Ovambanderu people on 02 October 1904.
“These genocide sites require preservation as they are national sanctuaries for reflection, education, and enduring remembrance for future generations,” he said.
Ngurare also urged descendants of the victims to defend their dignity and resist any attempts to dilute or distort history through “slick public relations.”
“Do not allow the genocide of your ancestors to be trivialised, and do not allow historical memory to fade into indifference. A nation that forgets its foundations weakens its capacity to navigate the future,” Ngurare said.
Furthermore, he stressed that the memory of the 1904-1908 genocide must strengthen the nation’s collective commitment to human dignity and economic equity for all Namibian communities, including those in the Otjinene Constituency.
Also speaking at the event, Omaheke Governor Pijoo Nganate said the day is not only about mourning but self-commitment to unity, justice and progress.
“It is about educating our children the truth about Ozombuzovindimba, Shark Island, about the resilience of our people so that history is never erased. This will prevent such atrocities not to happen again,” he said, adding the victims must be honoured by building a Namibia where their descendants feel seen, heard and represented.
Nganate emphasised that victims must be honoured with land, justice, economic empowerment and cultural preservation.
“Let us honour them by ensuring that remembrance is not just symbolic but transformative,” he concluded.
(NAMPA)
ZN/PS/EK