In public life, Afrikaans, and to a lesser extent German, are still used as lingua francas even though the government only uses English.

Politics

Local authority elections

Windhoek is the only self-governed settlement in Khomas Region. It is governed by a multi-party municipal council that has fifteen seats. The council meets monthly; its decisions are taken collectively.

SWAPO won the 2015 local authority election and gained twelve seats, by having 37,533 votes. Three opposition parties gained one seat each: The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), formerly DTA, with 4,171 votes, the National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO) with 1,453 votes, and the Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) with 1,422 votes. SWAPO also won the 2020 local authority election but lost the majority control over the town council. It obtained 20,250 votes and gained five seats. The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), an opposition party formed in August 2020, obtained 14,028 votes and gained four seats. Two seats each went to the local branch of the Affirmative Repositioning movement (8,501 votes) and the Landless People's Movement (LPM, a new party registered in 2018, 7,365 votes). PDM (5,411 votes) and NUDO (1,455 votes) obtained one seat each.

Twin towns – sister cities

Windhoek is twinned with:

  • Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  • Berlin, Germany
  • Havana, Cuba
  • Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Kingston, Jamaica
  • Nanjing, China
  • Richmond, United States
  • San Antonio, United States
  • Shanghai, China
  • Suzhou, China
  • Trossingen, Germany

<!--Vantaa - twinning ended, rest - not twinning-->

Culture

thumb|[[Independence Memorial Museum (Namibia)|Independence Memorial Museum (2018)]]

Windhoek is known as the art capital of Namibia. The National Art Gallery, National Theatre and the National Museum are all located here. Two locations are part of the National Museum, the Alte Feste (historical) showcases a range of colonial items such as wagons and domestic items, while the Owela Museum (scientific; named after Owela, a traditional game played with pebbles) contains displays of minerals, fossils and meteorites and gives an insight into traditional village life. There are also the Independence Memorial Museum, the National Library of Namibia and the Windhoek Public Library, built in 1925, next to the Alte Feste.

Places of worship

thumb|upright|[[Christ Church, Windhoek]]

The places of worship are predominantly Christian churches and temples: those of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia, Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia, German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (all three members of the Lutheran World Federation), Baptist Convention of Namibia (Baptist World Alliance), Assemblies of God, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Windhoek (Catholic Church). There are also a few Islamic mosques in the city, including the Windhoek Islamic Center.

Architecture

thumb|[[Parliament Gardens]]

thumb|The Equestrian Monument

  • Alte Feste – (Old Fortress) Built in 1890, today houses the National Museum.
  • Curt von François monument in front of the municipality building. Inaugurated on 18 October 1965 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the second foundation of the town by von François. The statue was removed from its location, in front of the municipal grounds, on the 23 November 2022 and will be stored in the local Windhoek City Museum. The statue was removed from its historical place next to Christuskirche in December 2013 and is now on display in the yard of the Alte Feste.
  • State House, Windhoek – The official residence of the President of Namibia.
  • Supreme Court of Namibia – situated in Michael Scott Street on Eliakim Namundjebo Plaza. Built between 1994 and 1996 it is Windhoek's only building erected after independence in an African style of architecture.
  • The three castles of Windhoek built by architect Wilhelm Sander: Heinitzburg, Sanderburg, and Schwerinsburg
  • thumb|287x287px|The [[Tintenpalast]]Tintenpalast – (Ink Palace) within Parliament Gardens, the seat of both chambers of the Parliament of Namibia. Built between 1912 and 1913 and situated just north of Robert Mugabe Avenue.
  • Turnhalle – neo-classicist building of Wilhelmine architecture, inaugurated in 1909.
  • Windhoek Railway Station – A historical railway station serving the city of Windhoek.
  • Zoo Park – a public park on Independence Avenue in downtown Windhoek. The current park is landscaped and features a pond, playground and open-air theatre.

Recreation and sports

Sports

Rugby union is a popular sport in Namibia. The men's national team has qualified for the Rugby World Cup on seven consecutive occasions, in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023, but has not won a game at the tournament. The Welwitschias, who share their name with the national team, has competed in South Africa's domestic Rugby Challenge competition since 2021, and previously competed in the Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup.

The city has several football clubs, which include African Stars F.C., Black Africa F.C., F.C. Civics Windhoek, Orlando Pirates F.C., Ramblers F.C., SK Windhoek, Tigers F.C., Tura Magic F.C., and Citizens F.C.

Many boxers, such as Paulus Moses, Paulus Ambunda and Abmerk Shindjuu, are from the city.

The Namibia national cricket team, the Eagles, plays the majority of its home games at the Wanderers Cricket Ground. It has also played at other grounds in the city, including the United Ground and the Trans Namib Ground. The team took part in the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, though they lost all their games. They have played in each edition of the ICC Intercontinental Cup.

Men's baseball was introduced to Namibia in 1950 at the Ramblers sports club in town.

The Tony Rust Raceway is located west of Windhoek on the Daan Viljoen road and reopened in 2007.

Recreation

Farm Windhoek, located adjacent to the townlands and owned by the municipality, is a sports and recreational venue for hiking, running, and mountain biking.

Education

thumb|The main campus of the [[University of Namibia]]

Tertiary institutions

The general institutions of higher education in Windhoek are:

  • University of Namibia (UNAM)
  • Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST); until 2015, the Polytechnic of Namibia
  • International University of Management (IUM)
  • Welwitchia University (WU)

Other institutions

Other recognisable institutions of higher learning:

  • Institute of Information Technology (IIT)
  • College of the Arts (COTA)

Secondary schools

Windhoek 29 secondary schools and 58 primary schools. Some of the notable schools are:

  • A. Shipena Secondary School
  • Academia Secondary School
  • Augustineum Secondary School
  • Centaurus High School
  • Concordia College
  • Cosmos High School
  • Chairman Mao Zedong High School
  • Dagbreek School for the Intellectually Impaired
  • David Bezuidenhout Secondary School
  • Delta Secondary School Windhoek (DSSW)
  • Deutsche Höhere Privatschule (DHPS)
  • Ella du Plessis High School
  • Eros School for Girls
  • Hage Geingob High School
  • Holy Cross Convent School
  • Immanuel Shifidi Secondary School
  • Jakob Marengo Secondary School
  • Jan Jonker Afrikaner High School
  • Jan Möhr Secondary School
  • Saint George's Diocesan College
  • Pionier Boys' School
  • Saint Paul's College
  • Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool (WAP)
  • Windhoek Gymnasium Private School (WHK Gym)
  • Windhoek High School (WHS)
  • Windhoek International School (WIS)

Notable people

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  • Collin Benjamin (born 1978), retired footballer
  • Jacques Burger (born 1983), former rugby player
  • Tippi Degré (born 1990), documentary maker
  • Dynamo Fredericks (born 1992), footballer
  • Frank Fredericks (born 1967), athlete
  • Gisvi (born 1982) Portuguese former footballer
  • Stanley Goagoseb (born 1967), former footballer
  • Morné Karg (born 1977), cricketer
  • Max Katjijeko (born 1995) rugby union player for the Tel Aviv Heat
  • Costa Khaiseb (born 1980), footballer
  • Michelle McLean (born 1973), Miss Universe 1992
  • Wessel Myburgh (born 1990), cricketer
  • Gert Lotter (born 1993), cricketer and rugby player
  • Maleagi Ngarizemo (born 1979), former footballer
  • Bertus O'Callaghan (born 1988), rugby player
  • Brumhilda Ochs (born 1992), model
  • Quido (Le-Roy Quido Mohamed) (born 1989), rapper
  • André Rademeyer (born 1998), rugby player
  • Johnny Redelinghuys (born 1984), rugby player
  • Francois van Rensburg (born 1974), rugby player
  • Wolfgang Schenck (1913–2010), pilot
  • Peter Shalulile (born 1993), footballer
  • Abraham Shatimuene (born 1986), footballer
  • Immanuel Shifidi (1929–1986), activist
  • Abmerk Shindjuu (born 1981), boxer
  • Colette Solomon, policy researcher and women's rights activist
  • Nelius Theron (born 1997), rugby player

See also

  • List of mayors of Windhoek
  • List of cemeteries in Windhoek

References

Bibliography

  • Official homepage of the City of Windhoek