Windhoek - Capital of Namibia

Author: Brenda Bravenboer
Gamsberg Macmillan
Windhoek, 2004
Soft-cover, 17x24 cm, 397 pages, countless bw- and colour photos

Extract from author's note:

Dear Reader, when I first visited Namibia in 1987, I fell in love with Windhoek. Later on I settled here and started collecting bits of interesting information on the place and its history. That was when I discovered that the last comprehensive publication on Windhoek was a 1967 reprint of Dr Mossolow's "Windhoek Today". I dreamed that one day I would write something to celebrate the existence of this unique place in Africa. It is impossible to tell it all. The volume of information is immense. I have only skimmed the surface of this city's history and development.

The information on the various aspects covered in this publication is just a broad overview of progress and expansion in the different eras. In this historical pictorial publication I have attempted to show the evolution of Windhoek with input from government, municipality and the private sector with visual images of change. For whichever subjects I may have had to omit I apologise. And as every single chapter in this book needs further investigation I challenge students/historians young and old to consider undertaking individual studies of the development of life in Windhoek in all its facets and, in this way, make a contribution to the next publication on Windhoek. [...]

Content:

Foreword
Author's Notes and Acknowledgements

+ CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO MODERN WINDHOEK
- CLIMATE
- RIVERS
- VEGETATION

+ CHAPTER 2: PRE-COLONIAL ERA: THE EXPLORATION OF THE GREAT UNKNOWN
- MOVEMENT AND MISSIONARIES
- WHAT'S IN A NAME?

+ CHAPTER 3: THE GERMAN COLONIAL ERA (1884-1914)
- HISTORICAL EVENTS
- GERMAN INTEREST IN SOUTH WEST AFRICA (1882-1884)
- COLONIAL GOVERNMENT (1884-1890)
- ESTABLISHMENT OF WINDHOEK
- 'ALTE FESTE'
- WINDHOEK AND KLEIN WINDHOEK DEFINED
- THE ARRIVAL OF EUROPEAN SETTLERS
- SETTLEMENT POLICY
- WATER
- GOVERNMENT - LAW, ORDER AND THE MILITARY
- GROSS WINDHOEK - HOUSING AND TOWN PLANNING
- PRIVATE ENTERPRISE
- RESIDENTIAL AREAS
- THE 'OLD LOCATION'
- THE NAMA WAR AND THE GERMAN MILITARY (1894)
- THE HERERO WAR (1904)
- TRANSPORT
- CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
- CEMETERIES
- THE WINDHOEK AGRICULTURAL SHOW
- POST AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
- EDUCATION
- HEALTH
- RELIGION AND MISSIONARIES
- EUROPEAN POPULATION GROWTH DURING THE GERMAN COLONIAL ERA (1890-1915)
- ESTABLISHMENT OF TOWN COUNCILS
- ECONOMY
- LABOUR AND THE DISCOVERY OF DIAMONDS
- THE FIRST WORLD WAR (AUGUST 1914)
- THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA'S INVOLVEMENT

+ CHAPTER 4: THE SOUTH AFRICAN ERA (1915-1990)
- INTRODUCTION TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN ERA
- MARTIAL LAW
- UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA - LAW AND POLITICS
- PROCLAMATION NO 24 OF 1920
- MUNICIPAL SERVICES
- TOWN PLANNING
- THE SHAPING OF WINDHOEK
- WINDHOEK - 75 YEARS OID
- MUNICIPAL MONEY AND MANPOWER
- WATER SUPPLY (1916-1919)
- ROADS (1916-1990)
- ELECTRICITY
- ECONOMY AND BANKING
- RACIALLY SEGREGATED RESIDENTIAL AREAS
- INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT IN WINDHOEK
- DIVISION OF THE TOWN/CITY ENGINEER
- FIRE BRIGADE AND AMBULANCE SERVICE
- PARKS, GARDENS AND CEMETERIES
- AGRICULTURE (1915-1990)
- GENERAL OVERVIEW OF WINDHOEK RESIDENTIAL AREAS (1915-1990)
- LAND AND LAND OWNERSHIP
- SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT DURING THE SOUTH AFRICAN ERA
- SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY OF SWA
- SOCIAL WELFARE ORGANISATIONS
- SPORT AND RECREATION
- OPEN-SPACE AND RECREATION SITES
- GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS (1915-1990)
- POST AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
- EDUCATION
- HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
- TRANSPORT
- INFLUENCE OF SOUTH AFRICAN POLITICS AND BLTLD-UP TO INDEPENDENCI
- BEFORE INDEPENDENCE
- INDEPENDENCE IN CONTEXT

+ CHAPTER 5: POST-INDEPENDENCE
- REGIONS
- GOVERNMENT
- WINDHOEK 100 YEARS OID
- THE FIRST LOCAL AUTHORITY EiECTION (1992)
- NEW LOCAL GOVERNMENT/PROMOTING DEMOCRACY
- CITY ENGINEER'S DEPARTMENT
- TOWN PLANNING
- WATER
- ROAD MAINTENANCE, CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS
- ELECTRICITY
- INFLUX OF PEOPLE TO WINDHOEK
- CITY INFRASTRUCTURE AND MAINTENANCE
- PARKS AND GARDENS
- TRANSPORT AND TRAFFIC DIVISION
- FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES
- PROPERTY
- THE BUDGET FOR THE 2002/3 FINANCIAI YEAR
- MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT
- POST-INDEPENDENCE GOVERNMENT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE 1990
- POST-INDEPENDENCE COMMERCIAI DEVELOPMENT
- LAW AND ORDER
- ECONOMY
- FINANCE AND BANKING
- HEALTH CARE
- EDUCATION
- RELIGION
- CULTURE
- DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS
- COMMUNICATIONS
- MEDIA
- CONFERENCE FACILITIES
- SPORT AND RECREATION
- URBANISATION
- INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS
- INTERNAL RESTRUCTURING (1998)
- DECENTRALISATION
- AFRICITIES SUMMIT
- VIEWS OF THE CITY
- FACES OF WINDHOEK
- THE PEOPLE
- LANGUAGE
- WINDHOEK IN 2004
- A TRIBUTE TO THE WINDHOEK MUNICIPALITY
- A TRIBUTE TO THE PEOPLE OF WINDHOEK
- POPULATION STATISTICS
- TOTAL POPULATION BY GENDER AND BY CONSTITUENCY, KHOMAS REGION 2001 CENSUS
- GERMAN GOVERNORS OF GERMAN SOUTH WEST AFRICA, 1885-1915
- ADMINISTRATORS OF SOUTH WEST AFRICA, 1915-1977
- ADMINISTRATORS-GENERAL OF SOUTH WEST AFRICA/NAMIBIA, 1977-1990
- PRESIDENT OF NAMIBIA, 1990-2004
- THE MAYORS OF WINDHOEK
- STATISTICS - WINDHOEK MUNICIPAL COUNCIL MEMBERS 1992 TO 2003
- COUNCILLORS - PERIOD OF SERVICE UNTIL NOVEMBER 1992
- COUNCILLORS - PERIOD OF SERVICE UNTIL FEBRUARY 1998
- COUNCILLORS - PERIOD OF SERVICE AT FEBRUARY 2003
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- OTHER REFERENCES