Windhoek — Government is waiting for a reaction from the German government to discuss the way forward on reparations for communities who suffered under German colonial rule a century ago, President Hifikepunye Pohamba told Parliament on Thursday.

Responding to a question posed by Ben Ulenga, president of the Congress of Democrats (CoD), after the President's State of the Nation address, Pohamba said Namibia had notified Germany about the outcome of a motion debated on that topic in the National Assembly last year. "We are waiting for communication from the German government but have not received a response yet. We have however good relations with Germany, [but] I will not wait [for a response] until the same time next year," Pohamba responded.

The motion of Chief Kuaima Riruako at the end of 2006 asked for acknowledgement that the atrocities committed against the Namibian people constituted genocide and warranted reparations.