What happened at Sam Khubis - the day of the covenant of the Rehoboth Baster people of Namibia?

Sam Khubis Commemorated - 8 May 1915

02.02.
South African (SA) Prime Minister Louis Botha arrives in Swakopmund and takes over command of SA’s 43 000 soldiers (on 11.02.).

15.04.
The Basters rise against the Germans as a result of a secret meeting between Botha and Baster Captain Cornelius van Wyk on 01.04. The Basters are specifically dissatisfied that the "Baster Corps" is used to guard SA prisoners of war in Otjiwarongo. In Schlip, Pieter Mouton collects all available able-bodied Basters to proceed to Sam-Khubis. On the way they kill inter alia the German policemen Rudolf Rogge and Richard Ewald Ernst Putzier on Büllspoort. The Germans, on their way to Sam-Khubis, attack the Basters at Heuras, Uitdraai and Kabirab. Among the Basters fighting the Germans are Samuel and Johannes Beukes.

08.05.
The battle of Sam-Khubis is fought between the Germans and Basters. The Baster community still commemorates the battle every year.

The German troops travel by railway to Bergland station (12.05.). On 13.05. they move from Hohewarte to the Waterberg.

Article below taken from  RehobothBasters.Org:

Every year on the 8th of May, the battle of Sam Khubis is remembered. This historical battle took place on 8 May 1915, when the German colonial army attacked the Baster people who had fled to their last stronghold of Sam Khubis. The fear of total annihilation by a better equipped German army created a strong sense of common destiny.

The battle turned into a miraculous survival, which is celebrated every year to remind the Baster people of the threats faced, which can be overcome together.

In 1885, the Kaptein of the Rehoboth Basters signed a Treaty of Protection and Friendship with the German government. This international treaty arranged the rights and duties of the Rehoboth polity vis-à-vis the German colonial power. This treaty continued to be operational until 1914 when World War One changed the political landscape.

The Basters refused to take up arms against South African troops that were threatening to invade German controlled South West Africa. They also refused to guard captured South African soldiers and did not agree to patrol outside the territory of Rehoboth.

The escalation of events started on 13 April 1915 when the German authorities demanded from the Baster Council that the armed Baster troops would go to Otjiwarango to guard Prisoners Of War. If these demands were not to be met, all weapons in possession of the Rehoboth Basters had to be handed in to the German army. The Germans gave the Baster Council a three day deadline.

However, the following day the Germans secretly ‘disarmed’ Baster soldiers in Sandputs. Several of the Baster soldiers tried to escape in which one was killed and another one escaped to tell the Baster Council of the events. In the mean time the Germans were also ‘disarming’ the Basters in Rehoboth. In the following days, several armed skirmishes occurred leaving a number of Baster and German soldiers dead.

These events lead to the cancellation of the 1885 Treaty by the German authorities who declared it null and void as of 22 April 1915. Consequently, the Germans sent many soldiers to Rehoboth, while in the mean time Baster families were fleeing to the Sam Khubis area, which was considered a militarily defendable position.

In the early morning of 8 May 1915, the Germans attacked the Baster stronghold of Sam Khubis, where a large part of the population had found refuge. The fighting lasted until the evening. The Basters feared that the superior weapons of the German army would mean a total defeat and possible annihilation the next day. However, the Germans withdrew from the fight the next day, leaving a relieved and hopeful Baster people behind.

The German withdrawal was caused by the South African army that was on the march and conquered the territory of South West Africa, including Rehoboth, to mark a new chapter in the struggle for self-determination of Rehoboth and the Baster people.

What is faith to me?

There is more to my happiness and ability to perceive my life in positive terms. It is a mental attitude that I have spent time and energy on achieveing. (Perhaps I should also add money, even though it was not my money.)

Since a very young age I have been prodded and poked to make sure that I was okay. This was especially noticable to me after my mother passed away when I was five years old. I was fortunate that after she had her accident while playing table-tennis, she still had enough time the next day to talk to be in the ambukance before she was moved to a hospital with better facilities. My mother had always taught me that "God's will be done" and that accepting His way would always lead me where I need to be. That day in the ambulance, she once again reminded me to "heed God's will" and "accept what you are given in life".

Jeremiah 29 vs 11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Through the years I faced many trials and tribulations (most of them self-inflicted) but this bible verse stayed with me throughout my life.

That is faith!

This blog was written on  Tuesday, 7 February 2012 at 09:55 - See http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10151235632190324

Three weeks later, while crossing the road at 13h30 in the afternoon, my knee dislocated and I fell in the road and lost five teeth too. BUT I still have faith - I made new friends in hospital - and had time to spend with family and friends - which I normally do not......

Namibian Bloggers - May 2012

A list of Namibian bloggers which I hope to expand with your help.

Change your life - http://v-changeyourlife.blogspot.com/
Creating Wealth - http://theodorestanley1.blogspot.com/
Daves Boring Blog - http://davesboringblog.wordpress.com/
Dune Sieben (German) - http://dunesieben.wordpress.com/
End forced Sterilisation - http://endforcedsterilisation.wordpress.com/
Frantic Naturalist - http://frantic-naturalist.blogspot.com/
Girl Uncovered - http://enigma.iblog.co.za/
I present Roxanne - http://www.myspace.com/marvinsanzila/blog
Lottering News  - http://lotteringnews.blogspot.com/
Making a better Namibia - http://milton-louw.blogspot.com
Namibian DJ|s - http://www.namdjs.com/
Namibia Facts - http://www.namibia-facts.de/blog/
Namibia Welcome - http://groups.google.com/group/namibia-welcome?pli=1
One Stoned Crow - http://onestonedcrow.blogspot.com/
The Joys Of My Splintered Life In SMALLTOWN - http://splinteredlife.blogspot.com/
Vakwetu Style - http://www.vakwetu.blogspot.com/
Vieranas Safaris - http://namibiahuntsafaris.blogspot.com/
the new Der/die/das Namibia/er auf Deutsch - http://www.i-namibia.de/
Sinisterstuf - http://blog.sinisterstuf.org/

Some good news for Namibian consumers

In these troubling times and comparisons of costs in other countries, it is a little bit of comfort to realise that as Namibian consumers we have had some success. The following is taken from the "Africa Prepaid Mobile Price Index 2012: South Africa" study by Research ICT Africa (http://www.researchictafrica.net/home.php)

"Not long ago, South Africa and Namibia shared the same mobile termination rates and had similar end-user prices. Today, Namibia enjoys amongst the cheapest mobile prepaid prices in Africa, as a result of the slashing of its termination rates close to cost, which pressured the incumbents towards cost-based pricing, thereby increasing demand and remaining highly profitable.

South African prepaid mobile prices are three times more expensive than in  Namibia.

The most dramatic shift in prices was that of Namibia – the result of aggressive price reductions by the dominant operator MTC following systematic interconnection rate reductions towards cost-based termination rates. In June 2011, MTC launched a NAD 0,38 campaign for calls across networks with 100 free SMSs a day, subject to recharging of at least NAD 5.

In Namibia, mobile termination rates were cut from NAD 1,06 to NAD 0,30 (ZAR 0,30) in less than two years."

From the Namibia Consumer Protection Group (NCPG), I must add, a lot of this was thanks to Dr Christoph Stork in cooperation with the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology.

Kind regards

Milton Louw
Executive Director
NCPG

Toekoms Namibië

http://toekomsnamibie.blogspot.com/


Toekoms Namibië is 'n samewerkings projek van Milton Louw en Moira Delie om die boek, "Future Namibia" te verwerk in Afrikaans.

Die boek handel oor die nodigheid van 'n regering en besgheidslui wat die mense van die land eerste stel om te verseker almal bly in 'n land van vrede en oorvloed.