List of mayors of Windhoek

The city of Windhoek, capital of Namibia, was officially founded on 18 October 1890 by Curt von François, an Imperial German colonial official in the Schutztruppe,^[1] to serve as capital of German South-West Africa. Since then, the city had 49 different mayors, the first of them starting to serve in 1909.^[2]

List of mayors

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

German colonial administration (1894–1915)

• 1909–10: Dr Fritsche, first mayor of Windhoek^[2]
• 1910–11: Gustav Voigts^[2]
• 1911–16: Peter Müller, born 1873, member of the Schutztruppe, later businessman^[3]

South African mandate (1920–66)

• 19??–18: Dr Kohler^[4]
• 1920–22: Peter Müller^[3]
• 1927–28: Joseph Wood, born 17 February 1876 in Birmingham, England, a Wesleyan Church minister.^[5]
• 1929–38:John Meinert, born 9 December 1886 in Hamburg, Germany. Businessman and founder of John Meinert Printing Ltd.^[2][3]
• 19??–??: Edgar Sander, born 4 March 1895 in Leipzig, Germany, entered Namibia in 1923. Sander farmed with Karakul skins and was a member of the Legislative Assembly of South-West Africa.^[6]
• 19??–??: Abraham Bernard May, medical doctor and district surgeon^[3]
• 1941–46: 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]
• 1954–55: Willem Hendrik Immelmann, born 11 February 1904 in Sutherland, South Africa, was a manager at Windhoek Universal Motors.^[9]
• 1956–57: Hermanus Johannes Steyn, born in 1890 in Ermelo, South Africa. Steyn was an ophthalmologist and the leader of the National Party of South-West Africa.^[6]
• 1957–61: 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.^[6]
• 1961–63: Stefanus Johannes Spies, born 26 June 1922 in Oudtshoorn, South Africa. He was a businessman and entered Namibia in 1945.^[6]
• 1963–65: Jack Levinson^[2]
• 1965-?: Sam Davis^[10]

South African occupation (1966–89)

• 19??–??: Dries Yssel^[2]
• 19??–??: Joey Olivier^[2]
• 19??–??: Petra Hamman^[2]
• 19??–??: Vivienne Graig-McLaren^[2]
• 1970–71: Joachim Bernhard Hermann von Prittwitz und Gaffron, mechanical engineer^[1]
• 1974–76: Günther Kaschik, born 16 January 1930 in Germany, was a businessman and manager of the South-West African Buildings Society^[11]

Independent Namibia (1990–present)

• 1990–1992: Björn von Finckenstein
• 1993: Matheus Shikongo
• 1994–1999: Björn von Finckenstein
• 1999-2000: Immanuel Ngatjizeko
• 2000–10: Matheus Shikongo,^[12] longest-serving mayor of Windhoek^[2]
• 2010–12: Elaine Trepper^[13]
• 2012–2015: Agnes Kafula^[14]
• 2015 -  : Muesee Kazapua^[15]

References

Notes

1. Dierks, Klaus. "Biographies of Namibian Personalities, V". www.klausdierks.com. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
2. "Mayors – running the Capital City". Namibian Sun. 11 July 2011.
3. Dierks, Klaus. "Biographies of Namibian Personalities, M". www.klausdierks.com. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
4. Dornseif, Golf. "Windhuks wild bewegte Pionierzeiten" [Windhuk's wild pioneer days] (PDF) (in German). www.golf-dornseif.de. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
5. Dierks, Klaus. "Biographies of Namibian Personalities, W". www.klausdierks.com. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
6. Dierks, Klaus. "Biographies of Namibian Personalities, S". www.klausdierks.com. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
7. "New Glitter Trappings for Trepper". Namibian Sun. 8 July 2011.
8. Dierks, Klaus. "Biographies of Namibian Personalities, F". www.klausdierks.com. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
9. Dierks, Klaus. "Biographies of Namibian Personalities, I". www.klausdierks.com. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
10. "Dank an den Bürgermeister" [Thanks to the mayor]. Allgemeine Zeitung (in German) (2015 reprint). 18 November 1965.
11. Dierks, Klaus. "Biographies of Namibian Personalities, K". www.klausdierks.com. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
12. Matheus Shikongo at Namibia Institute for Democracy
13. First black female mayor of Windhoek New Era, 7 December 2010
14. Jason, Loide (28 November 2012). "Windhoek elects new mayor". New Era.

Literature

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

External links

• Windhoek City Council