DOCSLIB.ORG

Yearbook 2017

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Yearbook 2017 2017 1 2017 YEARBOOK THE METHODIST CHURCH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA ZIPHOZIHLE DANIEL SIWA Presiding Bishop CHARMAINE MORGAN General Secretary JAMES M NKOSI Lay President Methodist Publishing House, Cape Town ISBN: 978-1-920464-29-5 2 2017 7KH0LVVLRQ6WDWHPHQW ´*RGFDOOVWKH0HWKRGLVWSHRSOHWR ´$ &KULVWKHDOHG $IULFD SURFODLPWKHJRVSHORI-HVXV&KULVWIRU IRU WKH KHDOLQJ RI QDWLRQV KHDOLQJ WUDQVIRUPDWLRQ 2XU,PSHUDWLYHVRI0LVVLRQ 2XU&RQWLQXLQJ*RDOV2I7UDQVIRUPDWLRQ$UH DGHHSHQLQJVSLULWXDOLW\öDUHVROYHWREHJXLGHGE\*RG VPLVVLRQöDUHGLVFRYHU\RIWKHSULHVWKRRGRI DOOEHOLHYHUVöDFRPPLWPHQWWREHRQHVRWKDWWKHZRUOGPD\EHOLHYHöDUHHPSKDVLVRIVHUYDQW OHDGHUVKLS GLVFHUQPHQWDVRXUPRGHOIRUPLQLVWU\öDUHGHILQLWLRQ DXWKHQWLFDWLRQRIWKHYRFDWLRQ RIWKHFOHUJ\LQWKH&KXUFKöDUHFRPPLWWPHQWWRHQYLURQPHQWDOMXVWLFH 2017 3 THE CHARTER OF THE MISSION CONGRESS ADOPTED BY THE CONFERENCE OF THE METHODIST CHURCH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA IN JOHANNESBURG ON 30 AUGUST 2005 Where there is no vision the people perish. Where there is no passion the vision dies. God has given us the vision of “A Christ healed Africa for the healing of nations.” As members of the Methodist Family our challenge is to share more deeply God’s passion for healing and transformation. We believe the Holy Spirit is guiding us to continue the pilgrimage which has led us through Obedience 81 and the Journey to the New Land to the present day. We recognise the importance of the local church and rejoice in the many Circuits and Societies where life-giving mission is taking place. In trust and obedience we commit ourselves anew to the four imperatives for mission in our time: A deepened Spirituality as individuals and a Christian Community. Justice and Service in Church and Society. Evangelism and Church growth which build up the people of God. Empowerment and Development which give dignity and new purpose to those who have been deprived. We resolve to take intentional and sustained action to implement these imperatives in such areas as: The Healing Ministry. Deepening our understanding of African and other spiritualities. Co-ordinated programmes for Christian Education, information and communication. Building meaningful relationships that transcend racism, sexism and all other forms of discrimination. A vigorous response to the crisis of HIV and AIDS. 4 2017 Informing our prophetic ministry by research into socio-economic issues. Identifying land for sustainable livelihood. Sacrificial giving. Becoming a church in solidarity with the poor. Providing training in evangelism. Training ministers for the African context. Implementing anti-bias training. Becoming a more Youth and Child centred Church. We invite the people of God throughout Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland to join us as we put ourselves at God’s disposal to carry forward God’s mission in this sub-continent. Let us each renew our personal commitment to Jesus Christ and seek to grow in grace and in love for God, one another and the world. Let us ensure that our mission of healing and transformation is holistic, embracing all the imperatives for mission. Let us participate in God’s mission in ways that are appropriate to our local contexts and in partnership with the wider church and community. Let us celebrate our diversity and the gifts God has given to each of us; support each other, challenge each other and pray for each other. Finally, we encourage every Circuit to set aside the last Sunday in May each year to celebrate what God is doing among us and to commit ourselves once again to our high calling in Christ. God bless this Africa which is our home. Give us grace to follow Jesus the healer, Jesus the peacemaker, Jesus the Saviour of the world, Jesus the Lord of all life. Restore us and make your face shine on us That we may be saved. 2017 5 CONTENTS The Mission Statement of the MCSA . 2 Charter of the Mission Congress 2005 . 3 The Presiding Bishop’s Address to Conference 2016. 7 The General Secretary’s Report to Conference 2016 . 16 Appendix ˗ MCSA and Funerals . 23 The Lay President’s Address to Conference 2016 . 26 The Lay General Treasurer’s Report to Conference 2016 . 34 The Districts’ Reports to Conference 2016 . 41 The Minutes of Conference 2016 . 88 Chapter 1 Conference 2016: Message to the Methodist People . 92 Chapter 2 Conference 2016: Resolutions . 95 Chapter 3 World Methodist Council . 104 Chapter 4 Amendments to Laws and Discipline . 106 Chapter 5 The Finance Unit . 113 Appendix 1 . 129 Appendix 2 . 138 Appendix 3 . 142 Chapter 6 Education for Ministry and Mission Unit . 144 Chapter 7 Ecumenical Affairs Unit . 164 Chapter 8 Communications Unit . 170 Appendix 1 . 172 Appendix 2 . 175 Chapter 9 Mission Unit . 179 Appendix 1 . 193 Appendix 2 . 194 6 2017 Chapter 10 Human Resources Unit . 195 Appendix . 198 Chapter 11 Order of Deacons . 206 Chapter 12 Order of Evangelism . 212 Chapter 13 Connexional Chaplaincy Committee . 218 Chapter 14 Connexional Trust Property Committee . 222 Chapter 15 Methodist Publishing House . 223 Chapter 16 Women’s Work . 226 Chapter 17 Young Men’s Guild . 245 Chapter 18 Doctrine, Ethics and Worship Committee . 250 Chapter 19 Methodist Archives . 254 Chapter 20 Connexional Youth Unit . 256 Chapter 21 Seth Mokitimi Seminary . 262 Chapter 22 Connexional Music Association. 275 Chapter 23 Connexional Local Preachers` Association Report . 280 Chapter 24 Elections and Appointments . 284 Chapter 25 Conference Awards . 286 Connexional Diary 2017 . 287 Audited Financial Statements of the Connexional Office . 293 2017 Lectionary . 397 List of Conferences, Presidents, Secretaries and Lay Presidents . 404 In Memoria . 411 Topmed . 455 2017 7 THE PRESIDING BISHOP’S ADDRESS TO CONFERENCE 2016 Theme: TOGETHER a transforming discipleship movement Sub-theme: Igniting Mission ˗ breaking barriers Reading: John 17:13-26. Greetings th The leadership of the Church and the members of the 127 Conference of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, distinguished guests, my dear mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers in the faith, I greet you warmly in the name of our Triune God ˗ Amen. I extend a word of welcome to all of us who have set this time aside for holy conferencing. We look forward to robust debates, inspiring imagination of the future and a conference soaked in prayer. Acknowledgements and Introduction: We meet in the City of Tshwane, the seat of the South African Government. Many of us will remember the songs of old during the dark days of Apartheid: “Siyaya ePitoli” ˗ a yearning for an inclusive, free and peaceful society with justice and dignity for all. The hope was that the excluded majority would, in future, be included in decision-making, thereby shaping a better future for all. Twenty-two years ago, that vision became a reality. “Sifikile ePitoli.” This year, we meet in Tshwane ˗ the destination of over 20 000 women from all racial and ethnic groups who marched here in 1956, 60 years ago now, demanding the fall of oppressive and discriminatory barricades ˗ chanting: “wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo.” Enough was enough! Twenty two years ago, these barriers of legislated separation crumbled. These achievements give us the hope that all barriers will fall in the end. John, on the island of Patmos, was given a glimpse of that final harvest ˗ “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language before throne.” (Revelation 7:9). John looked and the barriers had fallen. For now, however, the church of God is called upon to join God in the dismantling and overcoming of barriers, because there are many that still stand. They too will fall, in the final analysis. In all the member countries of the Connexion and the world at large, the people of God must be reconciled to God, to one another and to the God- given resources of our beautiful lands. God is calling us to deliberate on ‘igniting mission and breaking all barriers!’ Botswana, which is part of this hosting District, is celebrating its Golden Jubilee. It was 50 years ago when Botswana ceased to be a British Protectorate on 30 September 1966, the same month and year in which Hendrik Verwoed died. You will recall that 8 2017 the seat of the Botswana government had just moved from Mahikeng in South Africa to Gaborone in 1965. That is the same year that the Botswana Christian Council was founded. Winds of change were blowing across the African continent at the time. I had the privilege of joining the Botswana Council of Churches in their Golden Jubilee celebrations and listened to moving stories of their journey. I was asked to request Conference to join the people of Botswana in prayer for their land. They face challenges which include high HIV/AIDS prevalence, desertification, inequality and poverty especially in the rural areas, including the looming spectre of some emerging political tensions. As they celebrate their Golden Jubilee, we pray that Botswana continues to grow in justice, peace and dignity for all her people. We wish them well in their celebrations. I ask this Conference to send the Botswana Government and Botswana Council of Churches a message of congratulation assuring them of our prayers. The drought affecting most of southern Africa has had a devastating impact on many forms of livelihood in the region and far reaching effects on food security, economic growth and unemployment levels. We continue to call on all of us to preserve the sanctity of all creation even as we pray that the forthcoming rainy season will be a good one. In the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, we celebrate 40 years of the decision made by this Conference to ordain women to the Ministry of Word and Sacraments in the same way as the ordination of men. Let me be quick to say that it is a celebration that marks the awakened consciousness of the church that we are all equal in the eyes of God. Space should be opened for all to exercise their call irrespective of gender. Some have asked that we call this year a ‘year of lamentation’ because of the injustices and prejudices suffered by women over the years.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Namibia's Colonization Process
    The Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Namibia’s Colonization Process By: Jonathan Baker Honors Capstone Through Professor Taylor Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa Baker, 2 Table of Contents I. Authors Note II. Introduction III. Pre-Colonization IV. Colonization by Germany V. Colonization by South Africa VI. The Struggle for Independence VII. The Decolonization Process VIII. Political Changes- A Reaction to Colonization IX. Immediate Economic Changes Brought on by Independence X. Long Term Political Effects (of Colonization) XI. Long Term Cultural Effects XII. Long Term Economic Effects XIII. Prospects for the Future XIV. Conclusion XV. Bibliography XVI. Appendices Baker, 3 I. Author’s Note I learned such a great deal from this entire honors capstone project, that all the knowledge I have acquired can hardly be covered by what I wrote in these 50 pages. I learned so much more that I was not able to share both about Namibia and myself. I can now claim that I am knowledgeable about nearly all areas of Namibian history and life. I certainly am no expert, but after all of this research I can certainly consider myself reliable. I have never had such an extensive knowledge before of one academic area as a result of a school project. I also learned a lot about myself through this project. I learned how I can motivate myself to work, and I learned how I perform when I have to organize such a long and complicated paper, just to name a couple of things. The strange inability to be able to include everything I learned from doing this project is the reason for some of the more random appendices at the end, as I have a passion for both numbers and trivia.
    [Show full text]
  • Namaqualand and Challenges to the Law Community Resource
    •' **• • v ^ WiKSHOr'IMPOLITICIALT ... , , AWD POLICY ANALYSi • ; ' st9K«onTHp^n»< '" •wJ^B^W-'EP.SrTY NAMAQUALAND AND CHALLENGES TO THE LAW: COMMUNITY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND LEGAL FRAMEWORKS Henk Smith Land reform in the arid Namaqualand region of South Africa offers unique challenges. Most of the land is owned by large mining companies and white commercial farmers. The government's restitution programme which addresses dispossession under post 1913 Apartheid land laws, will not be the major instrument for land reform in Namaqualand. Most dispossession of indigenous Nama people occurred during the previous century or the State was not directly involved. Redistribution and land acquisition for those in need of land based income opportunities and qualifying for State assistance will to some extent deal with unequal land distribution pattern. Surface use of mining land, and small mining compatible with large-scale mining may provide new opportunities for redistribution purposes. The most dramatic land reform measures in Namaqualand will be in the field of tenure reform, and specifically of communal tenure systems. Namaqualand features eight large reserves (1 200 OOOha covering 25% of the area) set aside for the local communities. These reserves have a history which is unique in South Africa. During the 1800's as the interior of South Africa was being colonised, the rights of Nama descendant communities were recognised through State issued "tickets of occupation". Subsequent legislation designed to administer these exclusively Coloured areas, confirmed that the communities' interests in land predating the legislation. A statutory trust of this sort creates obligations for the State in public law. Furthermore, the new constitution insists on appropriate respect for the fundamental principles of non-discrimination and freedom of movement.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ovaherero/Nama Genocide: a Case for an Apology and Reparations
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by European Scientific Journal (European Scientific Institute) European Scientific Journal June 2017 /SPECIAL/ edition ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857- 7431 The Ovaherero/Nama Genocide: A Case for an Apology and Reparations Nick Sprenger Robert G. Rodriguez, PhD Texas A&M University-Commerce Ngondi A. Kamaṱuka, PhD University of Kansas Abstract This research examines the consequences of the Ovaherero and Nama massacres occurring in modern Namibia from 1904-08 and perpetuated by Imperial Germany. Recent political advances made by, among other groups, the Association of the Ovaherero Genocide in the United States of America, toward mutual understanding with the Federal Republic of Germany necessitates a comprehensive study about the event itself, its long-term implications, and the more current vocalization toward an apology and reparations for the Ovaherero and Nama peoples. Resulting from the Extermination Orders of 1904 and 1905 as articulated by Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Imperial Germany, over 65,000 Ovaherero and 10,000 Nama peoples perished in what was the first systematic genocide of the twentieth century. This study assesses the historical circumstances surrounding these genocidal policies carried out by Imperial Germany, and seeks to place the devastating loss of life, culture, and property within its proper historical context. The question of restorative justice also receives analysis, as this research evaluates the case made by the Ovaherero and Nama peoples in their petitions for compensation. Beyond the history of the event itself and its long-term effects, the paper adopts a comparative approach by which to integrate the Ovaherero and Nama calls for reparations into an established precedent.
    [Show full text]
  • Maltahöhe, Namibia
    WORDS UNWRITTEN: A HISTORY OF MALTAHÖHE Sponsored by: The Namibia Development Trust Daniel Hartman Meghan Linskey Allyson Stoyle Faculty Code: SNZ Project Sequence: 0010 IQP Division: 49B WORDS UNWRITTEN: A HISTORY OF MALTAHÖHE An Interactive Qualifying Project submitted to the Faculty of WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science Submitted by: _______________________________ Daniel Hartman _______________________________ Meghan Linskey _______________________________ Allyson Stoyle Date: 7th May 2010 Report Submitted to: Ronny Dempers and Sylvanie Beukes Namibia Development Trust Sima Mpoyi Polytechnic of Namibia Moses Gariseb Maltahöhe Khâidāko Group Professors Svetlana Nikitina and Reinhold Ludwig Worcester Polytechnic Institute ABSTRACT This report, submitted to the Namibia Development Trust, focuses on the implementation of a community-based visual display to increase tourism in Maltahöhe, Namibia. After spending time researching the history of the area and conducting interviews with local elders to obtain detailed oral history and culture of the town, we were able to construct a visual representation inside the newly constructed tourist center. We also made recommendations on how the community members will be able to maintain the displays over time. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank all those individuals who dedicated their time and effort to the research, development, and application stages for our project as well as our sponsor, the Namibia Development
    [Show full text]
  • 13 Understanding Damara / ‡Nūkhoen and ||Ubun Indigeneity
    13 • Understanding Damara / ‡Nūkhoen and ||Ubun indigeneity and marginalisation in Namibia Sian Sullivan and Welhemina Suro Ganuses1 • 1 Introduction In historical and ethnographic texts for Namibia, Damara / ‡N khoen peoples are usually understood to be amongst the territory’s “oldest” or “original” inhabitants.2 Similarly, histories written or narrated by Damara / ‡N khoen peoples include their self-identification as original inhabitants of large swathes of Namibia’s 1 Contribution statement: Sian Sullivan has drafted the text of this chapter and carried out the literature review, with all field research and Khoekhoegowab-English translations and interpretations being carried out with Welhemina Suro Ganuses from Sesfontein / !Nani|aus. We have worked together on and off since meeting in 1994. The authors’ stipend for this work is being directed to support the Future Pasts Trust, currently being established with local trustees to support heritage activities in Sesfontein / !Nani|aus and surrounding areas, particularly by the Hoanib Cultural Group (see https://www.futurepasts.net/future-pasts-trust). 2 See, for example, Goldblatt, Isaak, South West Africa From the Beginning of the 19th Century, Juta & Co. Ltd, Cape Town, 1971; Lau, Brigitte, A Critique of the Historical Sources and Historiography Relating to the ‘Damaras’ in Precolonial Namibia, BA History Dissertation, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, 1979; Fuller, Ben, Institutional Appropriation and Social Change Among Agropastoralists in Central Namibia 1916–1988, PhD Dissertation,
    [Show full text]
  • Three Essays on Namibian History
    Three essays on Namibian history by Neville Alexander The essays in this volume were first published in Namibian Review Publications No. 1, June 1983. © Copyright Neville Alexander All rights reserved. This digital edition published 2013 © Copyright The Estate of Neville Edward Alexander 2013 This edition is not for sale and is available for non-commercial use only. All enquiries relating to commercial use, distribution or storage should be addressed to the publisher: The Estate of Neville Edward Alexander, PO Box 1384, Sea Point 8060, South Africa 1 CONTENTS Preface to the first edition 3 Jakob Marengo and Namibian history 8 Responses to German rule in Namibia or The enigma of the Khowesin 24 The Namibian war of anti-colonial resistance 1904–1907 49 2 PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION THE Namibian Review: A Journal of Contemporary Namibian Affairs has been published since November 1976. Initially it was produced by the Namibian Review Group (known as the Swedish Namibian Association) and 14 editions were printed by the end of 1978. It did not appear in 1979 as in that period we translocated ourselves from Stockholm to Windhoek – i.e. we returned home after 15 years in exile and we wrote directly for a political party, now defunct in all but name. The Namibian Review resumed publication in 1980 and has been appearing ever since with the latest edition devoting its leading article to a survey of Namibia at the beginning of 1983 and the most recent round of talks between the Administrator General and the ‘internal parties’ on (another) possible interim constitution.
    [Show full text]
  • Sample Chapter
    Copyrighted material – 9780230294103 Contents List of Maps ix Introduction x 1 Middle and Later Stone Age 1 Homo sapiens and other early modern humans 1 Scientific dating and climates: 244 kya–present day 2 Genetics and ‘African Eve’: 244 kya–190 kya (mis/ois-7) & 190 kya–130 kya (mis/ois-6) 5 Shell beads and ochre pigments: 130 kya–74 kya (mis/ois-5) 7 Worldwide dispersal of modern humans: 74 kya–60 kya (mis/ois-4) 9 Middle to Later Stone Age transition: 60 kya–24 kya (mis/ois-3) 10 Twa, Khoe, and San hunter-gatherers 12 Diversification of the Wilton LSA: 24 kya–11.5 kya (mis/ois-2) & 11.5 kya–today (Mis/Ois-1 Holocene) 13 Pottery, sheep & cattle from East Africa 15 Rock art: painting & engraving 17 2 Early & Middle Iron Age to c.1300 21 Bantu origins in West Africa c.2250 BCE 21 Early Iron Age people of the Western Stream c.250 BCE–CE 700 24 Early Iron Age people in East Africa 25 Eastern Stream Early Iron Age people 25 Central Stream Early Iron Age people 26 Khoe-San history during the Early Iron Age 27 The medieval warm epoch c.900–1300 29 Indian Ocean trade before c.945 30 Ivory, iron, & copper trade c.790–1020 32 Gold trade & the Mapungubwe kingdom c.950–1300 34 Other Middle Iron Age chiefdoms c.1030–1450 36 Nguni & Sotho-Tswana royal ancestry 37 Khoe-San transformation c.850–1250 38 3 Later Iron Age Societies to c.1685 43 Blackburn pottery & Nguni origins 43 Moloko pottery & Sotho-Tswana origins 45 v Copyrighted material – 9780230294103 Copyrighted material – 9780230294103 vi Contents Nguni invasions onto the Highveld 47 Indian
    [Show full text]
  • Nama, from Namibia 1.2 ISO Code (3 Letter Code from Ethnologu
    1. Description 1.1 Name of society, language, and language family: Nama, from Namibia “They traditionally speak the Nama language of the Khoe-Kwadi (Central Khoisan) language family, although many Nama also speak Afrikaans.” 1.2 ISO code (3 letter code from ethnologue.com): NAQ 1.3 Location (latitude/longitude):Nama (Khoekhoe) in namibia 24 degrees/17 degrees http://linguistics.buffalo.edu/people/faculty/dryer/dryer/atlas.locations 1.4 Brief history: “Around 2,000 years ago the Nama people settled in the southern region of the country around Orange River. They lived a nomadic pastoral lifestyle, raising flocks of goats and sheep, and collecting wild honey.” http://books.google.com/books?id=2GZm2R9CxocC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=Hottentots+ (Nama)+food+storage&source=bl&ots=bCsrc3AlTW&sig=ngvKH-RIG_sv2rQKjMM9- _JQ46I&hl=en&sa=X&ei=S7yFUIGkEuLY2gX4w4GgBA&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage &q=Hottentots%20(Nama)%20food%20storage&f=false 1.5 Influence of missionaries/schools/governments/powerful neighbors: Strong influences from Christian missionaries and some Muslims- currently mainly Christian with a Muslim minority 1.6 Ecology: see 1.4 1.7 Population size, mean village size, home range size, density In 2006 in Namibia- 200,000 2. Economy 2.1 Main carbohydrate staple(s): “Foods include wild cereals, tubers and roots, vegetables, berries, nuts, fruits, but also insects and wild animals.” http://books.google.com/books?id=bmIT2HZenVIC&pg=PA231&lpg=PA231&dq=Hottentots +(Nama)+food+storage&source=bl&ots=n9LdocH_GG&sig=LqQUOr6gTJEf65- wfpGLqsG8C8g&hl=en&sa=X&ei=S7yFUIGkEuLY2gX4w4GgBA&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAQ#v
    [Show full text]
  • The Cultural Heritage of South Africa's Khoisan
    The Cultural Heritage of South Africa’s Khoisan Willa Boezak It takes a village to raise a child. When the elephants fijight, it’s the grass that sufffers. African proverbs Introduction The Khoisan’s /ʹkɔısɑ:n/ approach to culture is a holistic one. Over thousands of years they have cultivated an integrated life-style, undergirded by socio- religious values. In a sense it is therefore artifijicial to discuss separate cultural issues as if they are silos in the life of this indigenous nation. However, the ero- sion of their cultural heritage occurred systematically during protracted colo- nial and neo-colonial eras which allows for a focused approach. Some cultural strands survived the colonial onslaught while others became extinct. In mod- ern times effforts have been made and still are being made, to restore, preserve and promote their heritage. The following fijive areas will be dealt with here: land, identity, leadership structures, languages and religion. These are all inter-related. Other relevant issues, such as their indigenous knowledge system and legislation protecting their intellectual property, are too complex to be included here. In this chapter we will look at the current state of these 5 foci, their historical context and the possibilities to preserve them for future generations. Mother Earth Colin Bundy points out that it was archaeologists who fijirst exposed falsehoods like the myth of the ‘empty lands’.1 The terra nullius idea, of course, was used as moral justifijication for the colonial invasion. The very fijirst people who bore the onslaught of colonial oppression in South Africa were coastal Khoisan commu- nities.
    [Show full text]
  • Britain's Response to the Herero and Nama Genocide, 1904-07
    Britain’s Response to the Herero and Nama Genocide, 1904-07 A Realist Perspective on Britain’s Assistance to Germany During the Genocide in German South-West Africa Daniel Grimshaw Master thesis in Holocaust and Genocide Studies Supervisor: Dr. Tomislav Dulić Submission date: 25/09/2014 Credits: 45 Abstract This thesis investigates the British response to the Herero and Nama genocide, committed in German South-West Africa, now Namibia in 1904-07. The records of the British Foreign Office will be used to assess Britain’s response to the atrocities. This thesis will determine how much the British authorities knew about the events at the time, the effects of the war on the British colonies in South Africa, the ways in which the British helped the Germans, why they helped the Germans and why there was no intervention. The theory of realism will be applied to explain why the British authorities acted the way they did, whilst using Hyam’s interaction model to demonstrate how decisions were made in the British Empire. This thesis demonstrates that the British Foreign Office co-operated with Germany for its own self interest and was indifferent to the suffering of the Herero and Nama as realpolitik dictated Britain’s response to the events. 1 Acknowledgments I would like to thank my family for their continued support throughout my master’s degree and who are always behind me in whatever I do. I especially thank my sister who gave me valuable criticism in the draft of this thesis. I also thank Professor Henning Melber who provided great wisdom and insight about the genocide during our discussions.
    [Show full text]
  • Genocide of the Herero and Nama, 1904-1907
    Genocide of The Herero and Nama, 1904-1907 What The genocide of the Herero and Nama in Africa, perpetrated by Germany during the Second Reich, is largely unknown. Germany had colonial control of an area known as German Southwest Africa. Between 1904 and 1907, German military forces committed genocide against that country’s indigenous populations to gain control over the land The German government ordered the murder of the indigenous Herero and Nama people through battle, forced starvation, forced dehydration, sexual violence, life-threatening medical experiments, and incarceration in concentration camps. These actions became the blueprint for Germany’s strategies to exterminate Jews and other targeted populations during the Namibia Holocaust of World War II, 1933-1945. While record-keeping from the period makes it difficult to quantify the total loss of life, it is estimated that 80% of the Herero people and 50% of the Nama people perished over the three-year genocide. Where Namibia is located in southern Africa and is bordered by South Africa, Botswana, Angola, Zambia, and the Atlantic Ocean. The area was a German settler colony, and many Germans moved there in search of farmland at a time of scarcity of arable land in Germany. In 1915, during World War I, South Africa began a military occupation of the country, officially ending Germany’s colonial rule. South Africa maintained apartheid-style control over Namibia until Namibian independence was won in 1990 after extended and brutal conflict. How In 1904, leaders of the Herero attacked a German fort in the town of Okahandja in protest of German policies.
    [Show full text]
  • Namibia, Indigenous Peoples
    United Nations A/HRC/24/41/Add.1 General Assembly Distr.: General 25 June 2013 Original: English Human Rights Council Twenty-fourth session Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya Addendum The situation of indigenous peoples in Namibia* Summary In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples examines the human rights situation of indigenous peoples in Namibia on the basis of research and information gathered, including during a visit to the country from 20 to 28 September 2012. Indigenous peoples in Namibia have suffered injustices in the past that leave them disadvantaged, to varying degrees, in the present. Since the independence of Namibia in 1990, the Government has made many significant achievements in rolling back some of the destructive legacies left by colonialism and apartheid. However, certain indigenous peoples—including the San, Himba (Ovahimba), Ovazemba, Ovatjimba and Ovatue people—are disadvantaged relative to other groups in the country and have not seen the promises and benefits brought by independence fulfilled for them. These groups have expressed strong desire for greater inclusion in decision-making at all levels, to be able to genuinely set their own priorities for development and to regain or strengthen rights over lands and natural resources, particularly lands to which they retain a cultural attachment. Especially in recent years, the Government has entered into some innovative arrangements with San tribes through which they have been able to increase their control over management of land areas and derive some substantial benefits.
    [Show full text]