White Namibians ( or ) are people of European descent settled in Namibia. The majority of White Namibians are Dutch-descended Afrikaners (locally born or of White South African descent), with a minority being native-born German Namibians (descended from Germans who colonised Namibia in the late-nineteenth century). There are also some Portuguese and English immigrants. 53,773 Namibians identified as White in 2023.
Demographics and distribution 53,773 Namibians identified as White in the 2023 census, representing 1.8% of the population of Namibia. Other estimates differ. The City of Windhoek estimates their number to be 75,000.
The vast majority of White Namibians live in major cities and towns in central or southern Namibia. Windhoek has by far the largest White population, and Whites are a majority in the coastal city of Swakopmund. Other coastal cities, such as Walvis Bay, Henties bay and Lüderitz, also have large White communities. In general, most of Namibia south of Windhoek has a high proportion of Whites, while central Namibia has a high concentration of Blacks. Apart from Windhoek, coastal areas and Southern Namibia, there are large White communities in Otjiwarongo and towns in the Otavi Triangle, such as Tsumeb and Grootfontein. The 1981 census of the Republic of South Africa reported a White population of 76,430 in Namibia (71% Afrikaners and 17% German-speaking).
History
The first European to land in Namibia was Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão.
Portuguese mariner and explorer Bartolomeu Dias reached Namibia in 1487. Europeans had no interest in Namibia until the 19th century because there was a desert along the country’s coast.
German colonists killed tens of thousands of indigenous African tribes in Namibia between 1904 and 1908 during the Herero and Nama genocide due to white supremacy and belief in racial superiority.
Economics According to the FAO, around 42% of arable land was owned by Whites at the time of independence in 1990. While the area was known as South West Africa, White Namibians enjoyed a highly privileged position due to apartheid laws enforcing strict segregation.Amid Namibia's White Opulence, Majority Rule Isn't So Scary Now in The New York Times, 26 December 1988
Politicians Leon Jooste, Minister of Public Enterprises Anton Lubowski, political activist Dirk Mudge, Chairman of the Turnhalle Constitutional Conference Henk Mudge, Member of Parliament Kosie Pretorius, Member of Parliament Hanno Rumpf, government minister and ambassador Hans-Erik Staby, Member of Parliament Jan de Wet, Member of Parliament Piet van der Walt, Deputy Minister of National Planning Calle Schlettwein, Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Nico Smit, Member of Parliament
Businessmen Harold Pupkewitz
Sportspeople Skipper Badenhorst Quinton-Steele Botes Renaldo Bothma Jacques Burger Dan Craven Monica Dahl Trevor Dodds Jörg Lindemeier Percy Montgomery Oliver RisserRisser, Namibia's White Warrior FIFA, 23 January 2008 Friedhelm Sack Manfred Starke Ian van Zyl
Journalists Gwen Lister Hannes Smith
Farmers Raimar von Hase Rudi and Marlice van Vuuren
Engineers Japie van Zyl
Artists Tim Huebschle, film director and screenwriter Adolph Jentsch, painter Richard Pakleppa, film director and screenwriter EES (Eric Sell), singer, songwriter and entrepreneur Max Siedentopf, artist and film director
Fashion models Michelle McLean Behati Prinsloo Chanique Rabe
Population chart +White population of Namibia, 1965–2023 (estimated)GovernmentYearWhite populationTotal populationWhite in percentGerman South West Africa (1884–1915)191314,830200,000*7% South West Africa, South African administration (1915–1990) 1918 13,400 195,000* 7% 1919 6,700 205,000* 3% 1921 19,432 228,910 8% 1933 10,000 290,000* 3% 1958 66,000 561,854 12% 1965 68,000 670,981 10% 1981 76,430 1,033,196 7% Republic of Namibia (1990–) 2023 53,773 3,022,401 2%
See also German Namibians Monitor Action Group Republican Party Demographics of Namibia History of the Jews in Namibia
References