White Namibians (german: Weiße Namibier or Europäer Namibier) are people of

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

descent settled in

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

. The majority of White Namibians are

Afrikaners Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

(locally born or of

White South Africans White South Africans generally refers to South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original settlers, ...

descent), with many of the White minority being

German Namibians German Namibians (german: Deutschnamibier) are a community of people descended from ethnic German colonists who settled in present-day Namibia. In 1883, the German trader Adolf Lüderitz bought what would become the southern coast of Namibia fro ...

(descended from

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

who colonised Namibia in the late-nineteenth century). Many are also

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

immigrants. Current estimates of the White Namibian population run between 75,000Namibian.org
– retrieved 3 February 2016 and 150,000.
– retrieved 3 February 2016 This imprecision in data is because the Namibian government no longer collects data based on race.

Distribution

The vast majority of White Namibians live in major cities and towns in central or southern Namibia.

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 20 ...

has by far the largest White population, and Whites are a majority in the coastal city of

Swakopmund Swakopmund (german: Mouth of the Swakop) is a city on the coast of western Namibia, west of the Namibian capital Windhoek via the B2 main road. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. The town has 44,725 inhabitants and covers ...

. Other coastal cities, such as

Walvis Bay Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The c ...

and

Lüderitz Lüderitz is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It lies on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island. The town is known for its colonial architecture, includi ...

, 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 Otjiwarongo ( hz, beautiful place) is a city of 28,000 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia. It is the district capital of the Otjiwarongo electoral constituency and also the capital of Otjozondjupa. Otjiwarongo is situated in cen ...

and towns in the Otavi Triangle, such as

Tsumeb , nickname = , settlement_type = City , motto = ''Glück Auf'' (German language, German for ''Good luck'') , image_skyline = Welcome to tsumeb.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption ...

and

Grootfontein , nickname = , settlement_type = City , motto = Fons Vitæ , image_skyline = Grootfontein grass.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = , image_flag = , flag_si ...

. 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

During Namibia's German rule, the colony attracted German immigrants. Most Afrikaners settled during the Dorsland Trek, as well as during the existence of apartheid. Most Angolan-born Portuguese settled after Angola became independent in 1975.

Economics

About 4,000 commercial land owners, mostly Whites, own around 50% of the arable land across the country despite a land reform process. 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 South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...

, White Namibians enjoyed a highly privileged position due to apartheid laws enforcing strict segregation.

Politicians

Leon Jooste Leon Jooste (born 18 February 1969 in Grootfontein, Otjozondjupa Region) is a Namibian politician and businessperson who served as Minister of Public Enterprises until 1 December 2022. Education and early life Jooste attended school at Paul Roo ...

, Minister of Public Enterprises *

Anton Lubowski Anton Theodor Eberhard August Lubowski (3 February 1952 – 12 September 1989) was a Namibian anti-apartheid activist and advocate. He was a member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO). In 1989 he was assassinated by operat ...

, political activist *

Dirk Mudge Dirk Frederik Mudge (16 January 192826 August 2020) was a Namibian politician. He served in several high-ranking positions in the South African administration of South West Africa, was the chairman of the 1975–1977 Turnhalle Constitutional Con ...

, Chairman of the Turnhalle Constitutional Conference *

Henk Mudge Henry Ferdinand Mudge (known as Henk) (born February 18, 1952) is a Namibian politician and President of the Republican Party.Kosie Pretorius Jacobus Willem Francois Pretorius, commonly known as Kosie Pretorius (5 September 1935 Hanno Rumpf Hanno Burkhard Rumpf (15 September 1958 – 8 February 2019) was a Namibian politician (SWAPO) and diplomat. Early life Rumpf, the son of well-known farmer and right-wing National Party member Ernst Rumpf, grew up on the Combumbi parental farm i ...

, government minister and ambassador *

Hans Erik Staby Hans-Erik Staby (8 September 1935 in Otjimbingwe-30 November 2009 in Windhoek) was a Namibian politician and one of the country's leading architects. A German Namibian, Staby was a member of the National Assembly of Namibia from the Constituent ...

, Member of Parliament *

Jan de Wet Johannes Marthinus (Jan, Jannie) de Wet (10 November 1927 – 13 February 2011) was a Namibian politician and farmer. Politics De Wet entered politics as a member of the South African Parliament from 1964 to 1970. He then became the Commissioner G ...

, Member of Parliament *

Piet van der Walt Piet Jacobus van der Walt (born 14 January 1966 in Okahandja) is a Namibian businessperson and politician who has been the Deputy Minister of National Planning since 2018. Early life and education Van der Walt grew up in Okahandja and went to pr ...

, Deputy Minister of National Planning *

Calle Schlettwein Carl-Hermann Gustav "Calle" Schlettwein (born 13 June 1954) is a Namibian politician who has served in the country's cabinet since 2012. In March 2020, he was appointed the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform after serving as the Mini ...

, Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform *

Nico Smit Nico Smit is a Namibian politician who has served in the National Assembly (Namibia), National Assembly since Namibia's independence in 1990. He represents the Popular Democratic Movement. Political career Smit began his politics career in the 1 ...

, Member of Parliament

Businessmen

Harold Pupkewitz Harold Pupkewitz (14 July 1915 – 27 April 2012) was a Lithuanian born, Namibian entrepreneur and member of the President's Economic Advisory Council. He was the Executive Chairman of Pupkewitz Holdings, a group of builders' merchants, car sal ...

Sportspeople

Skipper Badenhorst Skipper Badenhorst (born 1 December 1978 in Oudtshoorn, South Africa) is a rugby union player for the Cheetahs in the Super Rugby competition and Namibia. He plays as a hooker. Career Skipper matriculated in 1996 from Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool ...

Quinton-Steele Botes Quinton-Steele Botes (30 April 1960 – 23 June 2014) was a Namibian sport consultant. He won thInternational Olympic Committee Awardin recognition of his promotion of Athletics (sport), athletics in Namibia. As technical manager of the N ...

Renaldo Bothma Renaldo Bothma (born 18 September 1989) is a South African-born Namibian rugby union footballer. He plays mostly as a flanker. Formerly, he represented the in Super Rugby and the in the Currie Cup, the , , and . Career In 2013, he was includ ...

Jacques Burger Jacques Burger (born 29 July 1983 in Windhoek, South West Africa) is a retired Namibian rugby union loose forward who finished his career at Saracens in the Aviva Premiership. Club career He played for Saracens, having joined them in the 2009/ ...

Dan Craven Dan Craven (born 1 February 1983) is a Namibian racing cyclist, who last rode for Namibian amateur team NCCS Cycling Team. He is the grandson of Danie Craven, the South African rugby union icon. Craven started cycling seriously when he studied ...

Monica Dahl Monica Anja Dahl-Böhm (born 10 July 1975) is a Namibian swimmer. Of German descent, Dahl competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics for Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern ...

Trevor Dodds Trevor George Dodds (born 26 September 1959) is a Namibian professional golfer. Dodds was born in Windhoek, South West Africa. He turned pro in 1985. He won the Canadian Tour Order of Merit in 1995 and 1996. Dodds has compiled 13 wins on four d ...

Jörg Lindemeier Jörg Lindemeier (born 30 August 1968) is a Namibian swimmer. Lindemeier competed at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics for Namibia. He was born in Windhoek. He won a gold medal in the 200 metres breaststroke at the 1991 All-Africa Games ...

Percy Montgomery Percival Colin Montgomery OIS (born 15 March 1974) is a South African former professional rugby union player. When he ended his international career in August 2008, he held the all-time records for both caps and points for South Africa's nati ...

Oliver Risser Oliver Hanjorge Risser (born 17 September 1980) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He represented Namibia internationally as well as having spells playing in Norway, Finland, England and Belgium. Club career Born i ...

Friedhelm Sack Friedhelm Ferdinand Sack (born 30 May 1956 in Mariental) is a Namibian sport shooter. He competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Olympics and 2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπια ...

Manfred Starke Manfred Starke (born 21 February 1991) is a Namibian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club VfB Oldenburg. He also holds German citizenship. Club career Starke was born in Windhoek, Namibia to a Namibian-born Ger ...

Ian van Zyl Matheus Christiaan van Zyl, known as Ian van Zyl (born April 6, 1980 in Grootfontein, Otjozondjupa Region) , is a Namibian cricketer. He made his first-class cricket, first-class debut for the Namibian cricket team, Namibian team against Ugandan ...

Journalists

Gwen Lister Gwen Lister (born 5 December 1953 in East London, South Africa) is a Namibian journalist, publisher, anti-apartheid and press freedom activist. Early life Growing up under the apartheid system, Lister resolved to fight it as an adult, and c ...

Hannes Smith Johannes Martin "Hannes" Smith (17 March 1933 – 5 August 2008), affectionately known as Smithie, was a Namibian journalist, editor and publisher. He was first reporter at, then the editor of, the ''Windhoek Advertiser'' until 1978 when he and Gwe ...

Farmers

Raimar von Hase Raimar von Hase (born 12 March 1948) is a Namibian farmer. Career Raimar von Hase began farming in 1975. He previously owned land in the Hardap Region near Uhlenhorst, where he bred Karakul sheep, and other animal husbandry. This land was sold t ...

Rudi Rudi, born Albert Rudolph (January 24, 1928 – February 21, 1973), also known as Swami Rudrananda, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Rudi was a spiritual teacher and an antiquities entrepreneur in New York City.Swami Rudrananda udi ''Spiri ...

and

Marlice van Vuuren Marlice Elretha Jansen van Vuuren (born 14 May 1976 as Marlice Elrethra van der Merwe) is a Namibian conservationist. Together with her husband Dr. Rudie van Vuuren, she runs the N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary in central Namibia. Van Vu ...

Scientists

* Japie van Zyl

Artists

Tim Huebschle Tim Huebschle is a Namibian film director and screenwriter. After completing his high school in Windhoek, Tim Huebschle relocated to Cape Town and completed a Bachelor of Arts in English & German Literature at the University of Cape Town. During ...

, film director and screenwriter * Adolph Jentsch, painter *

Richard Pakleppa Richard Pakleppa (born 1961) is a white Namibian screenwriter, film director and film producer. Pakleppa studied philosophy and theatre in Munich, Germany and gained a Honours Degree in African studies from the University of Cape Town. Since 1 ...

, film director and screenwriter * EES (Eric Sell), singer, songwriter and entrepreneur *

Max Siedentopf Maximilian "Max" Siedentopf (born 27 June 1991) is a Namibian-German artist, designer, publisher and director. He is known for having set up an installation titled ''Toto Forever'' in the Namib Desert which consists of a ring of large white bloc ...

, artist and film director

Fashion models

Michelle McLean Michelle McLean (born 31 July 1972) is a Namibian actress, writer, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1992 at Thailand. McLean was 19 years old when she was crowned Miss Universe, and became the first Namibian woman to win th ...

Behati Prinsloo Behati Prinsloo ( , ; born 16 May 1988) is a Namibian model. In 2008, she became a Pink contract model, and moved on to become a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2009. She walked in ten Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows (2007–2015; 2018), and opened c ...

Chanique Rabe Chanique Rabe (born 17 March 1997) is a Namibian model, fashion designer, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Supranational 2021. Rabe was previously crowned Miss Teen Continents 2015 and Miss Supranational Namibia 2020, making ...

Population chart

References

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Ethnic groups in Namibia History of Namibia