Hendrik Witbooi

Hendrik Witbooi may refer to:

Hendrik Witbooi (politician)

Reverend Dr Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi (traditional name ǃNanseb ǀGabemab, 7 January 1934 in Gibeon – 13 October 2009 in Windhoek) was a Namibian politician and the seventh Captain of the ǀKhowesin clan. A member of SWAPO from 1976 until his death, Witbooi brought with him several clans of Namaqua into the liberation organisation.

Imprisoned numerous times during the Namibian War of Independence, Witbooi was first elected as Vice-President of SWAPO in 1984 and was re-elected for the last time in 1997. A member of the Constituent Assembly in 1989-90, Witbooi served in the National Assembly until his 2004 retirement, including a stint (1990-1995) as Minister of Labour and Manpower Development.

Witbooi became Namibia's first Deputy Prime Minister in 1995. He served in that position until 2004.

In October 2009, it was reported that Witbooi was facing major medical problems and had slipped into a coma at the Roman Catholic Hospital in Windhoek. On 13 October, Witbooi died at the Roman Catholic Hospital due to cancer.

Hendrik Witbooi (Namaqua chief)

Hendrik Witbooi (c. 1830 – 29 October 1905) was a chief of the ǀKhowesin people, a sub-tribe of the Khoikhoi. He lived in present-day Namibia. Witbooi is regarded as one of the national heroes of Namibia. His face is portrayed on the obverse of all N$50, N$100 and N$200 Namibian dollar banknotes.

Names

King Hendrik Witbooi (also spelt Witboi) was also known by the Nama name ǃNanseb gaib ǀGâbemab (the captain who disappears in the grass, a reference to his guerrilla war tactics), the Herero name Korota, the Herero pejorative Otjikorota, and the nickname Kort.

Family and early life

The family of Hendrik Witbooi made its mark as important members of Nama tribes. His grandfather, David Witbooi, was Chief of the tribe, who led the tribe across the Orange River into Namaland. His father, Moses Witbooi, was also a Chief of the tribe. His uncle, Jonker Afrikaner, was also a well-known Nama Chief, and opponent of Hendrik Witbooi. Jonker Afrikaner was in turn the son of the famous Jager Afrikaner. Hendrik Witbooi himself had seven sons and five daughters, including his son Isaak Witbooi.