List of mayors of Windhoek explained

The city of Windhoek, the capital of South West Africa and later Namibia, was officially founded on 18 October 1890 by Curt Karl Bruno von François, an Imperial German Colonial Official in the Schutztruppe.^[1] Its purpose was to serve as the capital of German South West Africa. Since its establishment, the city has had 49 different mayors, with the first one assuming office in 1909.^[2]

List of Mayors

German Colonial Administration (1894–1915)

• 1909–1910: Dr. Fritsche, first mayor of Windhoek^[2]
• 1910–1911: Gustav Voigts^[2]
• 1911–1915: Peter Müller, born 1873, member of the Schutztruppe, later businessman

South African Mandate (1915–1966)

• 1915–1916: Peter Müller, 1st time, born 1873, member of the Schutztruppe, later businessman
• 191?–1918: Dr. Kohler^[3]
• 1920–1922: Peter Müller, 2nd time, born 1873, member of the Schutztruppe, later businessman
• 1927–1928: Joseph Wood, born 17 February 1876 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, Great Britain and Ireland, a Wesleyan Church minister.^[4]
• 1929–1938: John Meinert, born 9 December 1886 in Hamburg, Germany. Businessman and founder of John Meinert Printing Ltd.^[2]
• 19??–19??: Edgar Sander, born 4 March 1895 in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany, entered Namibia in 1923. Sander farmed with Karakul skins and was a member of the Legislative Assembly of South-West Africa.^[5]
• 19??–19??: Abraham Bernard May, 1st time, medical doctor and district surgeon^[6]
• 1941–1946: Marie Elizabeth May Bell,^[7] first female mayor of Windhoek^[2]
• 1950s: Simon Frank, born 11 October 1913 in Robertson, South Africa. Advocate Frank was mayor of Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal before taking the post in Windhoek.^[8]
• 1954–1955: Willem Hendrik Immelmann, born 11 February 1904 in Sutherland, Cape Colony, was a manager at Windhoek Universal Motors.^[9]
• 1956–1957: Hermanus Johannes Steyn, born in 1890 in Ermelo, Transvaal Colony. Steyn was an ophthalmologist and the leader of the National Party of South-West Africa.^[5]
• 1957–1961: Jaap Snyman (Jacobus van Deventer Snyman), businessman, born 7 February 1919 in Zeerust, South Africa. Snyman was the owner of the car that was set on fire during the Old Location Uprising in December 1959, prompting the police to open fire at the protesters and killing 11 people.^[5]
• 1961–1963: Stefanus Johannes Spies, born 26 June 1922 in Oudtshoorn, South Africa. He was a businessman and entered Namibia in 1945.^[5]
• 1963–1965: Jack Levinson^[2]
• 1965-196?: Sam Davis^[10]

South African Occupation (1966–1990)

• 1966–1966: Hendrik Petrus Labuschagne (better known as Johann), a business man in the Motor Industry in Windhoek. Born 3 November 1920.
• 19??–19??: Dries Yssel^[2]
• 19??–19??: Joey Olivier^[2]
• 19??–19??: Petra Hamman, 1st time^[2]
• 19??–19??: Vivienne Graig-McLaren, 1st time^[2]
• 1970–1971: Joachim Bernhard Hermann von Prittwitz und Gaffron, mechanical engineer, first Mayor from German nobility^[1]
• 1974–1976: Günther Kaschik, born 16 January 1930 in Germany, was a businessman and manager of the South-West African Buildings Society^[11]
• 1988–1990: Abraham Bernard May, 2nd time (1912–1993)

Independent Namibia (1990–present)

• 1990–1991: Abraham Bernard May, 2nd time (1912–1993)
• 1991–1992: Petra Hamman, 2nd time
• 1993–1994: Matheus Shikongo (1950–2021), 1st time, first black Mayor, died from the COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia
• 1994–1995: Vivienne Graig-McLaren, 2nd time
• 1995–1998: Björn Graf Finck von Finckenstein (1958–2021)^[12]
• 1999-2000: Immanuel Ngatjizeko
• 2000–2010: Matheus Shikongo (1950–2021), 2nd time, died from the COVID-19 pandemic in Namibia,^[13] longest-serving mayor of Windhoek^[2]
• 2010–2012: Elaine Trepper^[14]
• 2012–2014: Agnes Kafula^[15]
• 2014–2019: Muesee Kazapua^[16]
• 2019–2020: Fransina Kahungu^[17]
• 2020–2021: Job Amupanda^[18]
• 2021–2023: Sade Gawanas
• 2023-2023 Joseph Uapingene
• 2023-present Queen Kamati

See also

• Timeline of Windhoek

References

Literature

• Brenda Bravenboer: Windhoek – Capital of Namibia. Gamsberg-Macmillan, Windhoek 2004.

External links

• Windhoek City Council

Notes and References

1. Web site: Biographies of Namibian Personalities, V. Dierks. Klaus. Klaus Dierks. klausdierks.com. 13 April 2012.
2. News: Mayors – running the Capital City. 11 July 2011. Namibian Sun. 13 April 2012. https://archive.today/20130129165129/http://www.namibiansun.com/node/14102. 29 January 2013. dead.
3. Web site: Windhuks wild bewegte Pionierzeiten. Windhuk's wild pioneer days. German. Dornseif. Golf. golf-dornseif.de. 13 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20131005233848/http://www.golf-dornseif.de/uploads/Windhuks%20wild%20bewegte%20Pionierzeiten.pdf. 5 October 2013. dead.
4. Web site: Biographies of Namibian Personalities, W. Dierks. Klaus. Klaus Dierks. klausdierks.com. 13 April 2012.
5. Web site: Biographies of Namibian Personalities, S. Dierks. Klaus. Klaus Dierks. klausdierks.com. 13 April 2012.
6. Web site: Biographies of Namibian Personalities, M. Dierks. Klaus. Klaus Dierks. klausdierks.com. 13 April 2012.
7. News: New Glitter Trappings for Trepper. 8 July 2011. Namibian Sun.
8. Web site: Biographies of Namibian Personalities, F. Dierks. Klaus. Klaus Dierks. klausdierks.com. 13 April 2012.
9. Web site: Biographies of Namibian Personalities, I. Dierks. Klaus. Klaus Dierks. klausdierks.com. 13 April 2012.
10. News: Dank an den Bürgermeister. Thanks to the mayor. German. 18 November 1965. Allgemeine Zeitung. 2015 reprint.
11. Web site: Biographies of Namibian Personalities, K. Dierks. Klaus. Klaus Dierks. klausdierks.com. 13 April 2012.
12. News: Vatileni . Eino . Ndeyanale . Eliaser . Iileka . Sakeus . 'Progressive nationalist' Von Finckenstein remembered . 22 December 2021 . . 5.
13. http://www.nid.org.na/view_book_entry.php?book_id=156 Matheus Shikongo
14. http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=14452&title=First%20black%20female%20mayor%20of%20Windhoek First black female mayor of Windhoek
15. News: Windhoek elects new mayor . Jason . Loide . 27 November 2012 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20121208020853/http://www.newera.com.na/articles/49378/Windhoek-elects-new-mayor--- . 8 December 2012 . subscription . Alt URL
16. News: Know Your Governors. Muesee Kazapua . . 4 October 2016 . 6 .
17. News: Ikela . Selma . Fransina Kahungu: From classroom to mayor . 14 August 2020 . . 18 December 2019 .
18. News: Tjitemisa . Kuzeeko . Job's mayoral dream comes true . 6 February 2021 . . 3 December 2020.