The OvaHerero people in Botswana, who are of Namibian descent and the descendants of the victims and survivors of the 1904 and 1908 genocide, are seeking engagement with Germany in their own right.
Led by Professor Mutjinde Katjiua, Ombara of a faction of the OvaHerero Traditional Authority, the descendants handed over a petition to the German Ambassador to Botswana, Gabriela Bennemann, on Monday in Gaborone.
They want the German government to progressively engage them as equally affected communities.
Ombara Katjiua told NBC News that the Ovaherero people call for concrete reparative action following Germany's acknowledgement in 2015 of the genocide through the petition.
They demand what they call inclusive justice.
"We, the undersigned descendants of the OvaHerero residing in Botswana and elsewhere, joined by the Nama compatriots together with concerned citizens and supporters of justice, human rights, and historical accountability, respectfully petition the government of the Federal Republic of Germany through Her Excellency, German Ambassador to Botswana. Our petition is founded on a simple but fundamental principle: nothing about us without us."
The petitioning process coincides with the marking of the 122nd anniversary of the extermination order issued on October 2, 1904, by General Lotha von Trotha to execute all Herero men, but in practice, women and children were also killed.
The German ambassador to Botswana, Gabriela Bennemann, accepted the petition and promised to share it with Berlin.
"I know of the history of Namibia. I know of the history of the OvaHerero. Of course, I know that Germans and representatives of the OvaHerero and Nama in Namibia are talking. Together, they have decided on a joint declaration. I am happy to receive the petition, and I can forward it and will forward it to Berlin."
Amnesty International's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, last year said it is shameful that Germany has failed to engage in meaningful consultations with the OvaHerero and Nama communities or provide reparations over a hundred years after waging a genocide.