BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY White Namibians are people of European or Southern African birth or descent living in Namibia. Most white Namibians are Afrikaners, while some are descended from German, Portuguese, or English immigrants.
Distribution
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 and Lüderitz also have large white populations. In general most of Namibia south of Windhoek has a high proportion of whites, while central Namibia has a high concentration of whites. Apart from Windhoek, coastal areas and Southern Namibia, there are large white communities inOtjiwarongo 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 percent Afrikaners and 17 percent German-speaking).[2]
History
During Namibia's short German rule, the colony attracted German immigrants. Most Afrikaners settled during the Dorsland Trek, as well as during the apartheid years. Most Portuguese settled after Angola became independent in 1975.
Economics
About 4,000 commercial land owners, mostly whites, own over 50% of the arable land across the country despite a land reform process.[3] While the area was known as South West Africa, white Namibians enjoyed a highly privileged position due to apartheid laws enforcing strict segregation and white domination.[4]
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