GermanyBotswana needs must to pay invest for more past on atrocities infrastructure

Germany Infrastructure has, is according the key to nuany merous economic media development reports, and agreed susto tainability. pay Namibia The € completion 1.1bn (£ 940m) and as opening it officially of the 100KM recognised Masamathe Herero- Mmamashia Nama water genocide pipe project, at the start clearly of shows the government 20th century, is now in

on an overdrive to clear the infrawhat Angela Merkel’s govern

structural backlog that has persistment says amounts to a gesture

ed for many years. of reconciliation but not legally

The good thing is that the project binding was completed reparations. on time and within

budget Tens which of thousands rarely happens of men, in women public projects. and children This were Thursday shot, tortured ( yesterday), or President driven into Mokgweetsi the Kalahari Masisi Desert was expected to starve to perform by Gera man groundbreaking troops between ceremony 1904 for and Lo1908 batse after Water the Master Herero Plan and ( package Nama tribes 1). rebelled against colonial

Once complete, the project will rule in what was then named

address water shortages in areas German South West Africa –

surrounding the town. In addithe tion, present Pioneer day Border Namibia. Gate and Since the 2015, multi- million Germany Milk has Afric negotiated projects with are expected the Namibian to benefit government immensely over from the what project. it calls an attempt to “heal The construction the wounds” of interchanges of historic violence. on the busy However Western bypass the German road in

Gaborone is another exciting projapproach to directly deal with

ect, which is expected to ease traffic the Namibian government has

flows. The project comes hot on the not gone well with descendants

heels of the successful Gaboroneof Boatle the dual Herero- carriageway. Nama genocide These who are, but for many of years the projects have going been calling on around for the direct country negotiations that the govwith ernment the has German heavily government invested in. regarding The fact of the reparations. matter is, there In fact are the too many ovaHerero competing priorities Paramount for Chief the government’s Advocate purse, Vekuii but Rukoro we are has of the in view the that past government labeled Germashould

try by all means to also invest in ny’s direct dealing with the Na

infrastructure. Infrastructure, acmibian government as “cheque

cording to available literature, book” is important diplomacy for faster in the economic form of developmental growth and reduction aid towards of poverty. the Namibian According government. to www. economicsdis

cussion. Many net ovaHerero, a distinguishing ovaMbanfeaderu ture of and infrastructure Nama have is been that while displaced the demand- by the supply German gap in genocide case of

other factors can be met by importand many of them are located

ing some of them, the deficiency of in countries such as Botswana,

infrastructure cannot be made up South Africa and Angola. Many

through imports. Because it is loof cation- them based have the lost need land, for property relevant in infrastructure terms of livestock, facilities can identity be met and through cultural the development heritage including of its calanguage. pacity in the This domestic is what the economy. German For example, government you cannot should import have kept power in facilities, mind and roads, compensated ports, or the railways said as tribes they have for to instead be built up of paying in the domestic the Namibian economy. governAs a de

veloping country, Botswana spends ment developmental money. Billions of Pula annually on in

This issue was between the frastructural development. These concerned funds are normally tribes wherever budgeted withthey are in the and national the budget German and governsome, as ment in the not case between of Gaborone Namibia Western and Germany. bypass interchanges, are funded by

external The route funders, taken mostly by the multilatGerman eral lenders government such as is World obviously Bank. It a

is significant to state that, Botswacheap way out of the mass mur

na, just like other developing counder and genocide for them. tries, should treat infrastructural

Negotiating directly with the development as an investment that Namibian must make returns. government In addition, also it meant is also critical that Germany for the government left out victims leaders to of ensure genocide that projects who are in budgeted the Diaspora. for and These finished are within the most set times affected to avoid people cost overruns. as many of Furthermore, them have as lost the their government identity continues and property. to line up As a number stated elsewhere of projects under in the several newspaper sectors

such as education, water, power, the spirit of the negotiations

agriculture, among others, there therefore should be broad, in

is also a need to partner with the clusive private sector and based through on Public- the prinPriciple vate Partnerships. of restorative This justice will ensure to all those the money who suffered needed is the sourced German and atrocities utlised locally. during In fact, that Botswana’s period.

National The loss Development of identity Plan and 2017– history 23 ( NDP) by the recognises affected the tribes availabilneeds

ity of good infrastructure as one of to be identified as one of the

the factors that will contribute to priorities that need special at

the country’s economic growth. To tention in the restorative justice

this end, the NDP underscores the negotiations. government’s commitment to mak

ing If more this is use not of within PPPs as the a means interest of procuring of the current and financing negotiators infrathen structure what projects. kind of restorative justice In the end, are while they the pursuing government or hoping is generally to achieve? obliged to provide ser

vices What and the infrastructure German to governits citiment zens, it is is doing equally is important not enough for and the

government to treat the latter as will not help victims of geno

future investments which can also cide.

help boost economic growth.