Namibië: Nama vs Duitsers

In 1894 the Naukluft Mountains were the setting for a series of skirmishes and battles between the Nama leader Hendrik Witbooi and the German force led by Theodor Leutwein. The outcome played an important role in the consolidation of German control over Namibia. In April 1893 the Germans, led by Captain Curt von François, had attacked Witbooi’s stronghold at Hoornkrans west of Rehoboth, forcing Witbooi and his followers to flee. Signed affidavits by survivors of the attack give and vivid picture of this bloody raid. “A little before sunrise the German soldiers opened fire on us and stormed the place … When we heard the firing we ran out of our houses; we had no opportunity of making resistance but fled … Houses were set on fire and burned over de the bodies of dead women and children.” Following this attack Witbooi pursued a guerrilla war against the Germans, using his superior knowledge of the countryside to harass and outwit the German forces. Finally, however, Witbooi was forced to retreat and chose the inaccessible Naukluft Mountains as the last refuse for his followers, including women, children and livestock. The decisive battles of the war took place in the Naukluft between 27 August and 5 September 1894. An account of the fighting by German commander Major Leutwein gives an idea of how tough it must have been for both sides to have waged a war in these mountains: “The troops followed the tracks left by the Hottentots’ livestock; more often than not, however, it was extremely difficult to discern these tracks on the rocky ground. For this reason the enemy could only be pursued during the day … the sun burned down from a cloudless sky, while the temperature dropped to several degrees below zero during the night … no fires could be lit … The troops were exhausted, clothing and shoes in tatters; casualities had reduced their already thin ranks…” Despite superiority in arms and ammunition these deprivations prevented the German forces from defeating Witbooi; on the other hand Witbooi was not able to successfully break out of the siege. Eventually, the two sides came to a standstill and on 15 September Witbooi signed a conditional surrender which required him and his supporters to return to Gibeon, to accept the paramountcy of the German Empire and the presence of a German garrison at Gibeon. In return Witbooi retained jurisdiction over his land and people, and the right to keep guns and ammunition. Concluding his account of the battle in the Naukluft, Leutwein wrote, “The enemy had suffered only minor losses … It proved that the Hottentot was far superior to us when it came to marching, enduring deprivation and knowledge of and ability to use the terrain … it was only in weaponry, courage, perseverance and discipline that the troops surpassed the enemy”. Bron tekst: Footprint "Namibia" (2006).