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List of colonial governors of Walvis Bay

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Walvis Bay on a 1978 map, and reference to South Africa before the handover to Namibia.
The Penguin Islands on an extract from a 1897 map of colonial Southern Africa.

This article lists the colonial governors of Walvis Bay, a city in the modern day Republic of Namibia (currently the third largest city in the country). The list encompass the period from 1878 to 1994, when Walvis Bay and the surrounding territory (including the Penguin Islands) was controlled by the United Kingdom and later by South Africa.

The list also encompasses the period of joint Namibian-South African control of Walvis Bay, from 1993 to 1994.

The title of the position changed a number of times. Under British rule, the title of the position went from Captain (1878) to Resident Magistrate (1878–1883) to Magistrate (1883–1910). Under South African rule, the title was Magistrate (1910–1925), Magistrate and Chairman of Village Management Board (1925–1931) and Mayor (1931–1994). Under joint Namibian-South African rule, the title was Chief Executive Officer of Joint Administrative Authority (1993–1994).

List

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(Dates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office)

Tenure Portrait Incumbent Notes
British Suzerainty
Walvis Bay annexed by the United Kingdom (annexation confirmed on 14 December 1878)
12 March 1878 to 1878 Richard C. Dyer,
Captain
1 June 1878 to 1880 D. Erskine,
Resident Magistrate
1879 to January 1880 W. E. Manning,
acting Resident Magistrate		 acting for Erskine
1880 to November 1880 William Coates Palgrave,
Resident Magistrate
November 1880 to 1882 Benjamin d'Urban Musgrave,
Resident Magistrate
August 1882 to 13 June 1883 E. J. Whindus,
Resident Magistrate
13 June 1883 to 7 August 1884 J. S. Simpson,
Magistrate
Incorporated into Cape Colony
7 August 1884 to 1885? J. S. Simpson,
Magistrate
1885 to 1889 Emile S. Rolland,
Magistrate
1889 to 1901 John James Cleverly,
Magistrate		 1st time, acting to July 1890
1902 to 1903 Frank H. Guthrie,
Magistrate
1903 to August 1905 John James Cleverly,
Magistrate		 2nd time
August 1905 to 1909? David Eadie,
Magistrate
1909 to 31 May 1910 J. M. Richards,
Magistrate
South African Suzerainty
Part of Cape Province within Union of South Africa
31 May 1910 to 1915? J. M. Richards,
Magistrate
1915 to 1920 Frederic Wodehouse Bult,
Military Magistrate for Swakopmund
1920 to 1 October 1922 K. R. Thomas,
Magistrate for Swakopmund and Walvis
Administration assigned to South West Africa
1 October 1922 to 18 March 1925 K. R. Thomas,
Magistrate for Swakopmund and Walvis
18 March 1925 to 16 March 1931 K. R. Thomas,
Magistrate and Chairman of Village Management Board
Municipal status
16 March 1931 to 1932 S. Blyth,
Mayor
1932 to 1934 W. G. Neate,
Mayor
1934 to 1940 Thomas Perris Hall,
Mayor
1940 E. O. Bull,
Mayor
12 December 1940 to 15 April 1948 Municipal status suspended
(under magistrates for Swakopmund)
29 April 1948 to 12 September 1949 J. Christie,
Mayor
23 September 1949 to 12 September 1950 F. Davel,
Mayor
13 September 1950 to 6 September 1951 Joseph C. Harries,
Mayor		 1st time
7 September 1951 to 8 February 1952 A. C. Stafford,
Mayor
9 February 1952 to 16 September 1953 W. J. Hamilton,
Mayor
17 September 1953 to 31 August 1954 Joseph C. Harries,
Mayor		 2nd time
31 August 1954 to 21 March 1955 H. St. John Reid,
Mayor
22 March 1955 to 31 May 1955 W. A. Bester,
Mayor
14 September 1955 to 27 August 1958 William Austin Willis,
Mayor		 1st time
27 August 1958 to 1960? Peter van Aarde,
Mayor
1960? to 1963? William Austin Willis,
Mayor		 2nd time
4 July 1963 to 11 March 1970 M. C. Botma,
Mayor
16 March 1970 to 14 March 1974 Heleon "Leon" Hendrikus Laubscher,
Mayor		 1st time
14 March 1974 to 12 March 1975 Nelis Naudé Dreyer,
Mayor
14 March 1975 to 10 March 1977 Heleon "Leon" Hendrikus Laubscher,
Mayor		 2nd time
11 March 1977 to 1 September 1977 Nico Retief,
Mayor		 1st time
Re-integrated into Cape Province (within South Africa)
1 September 1977 to 16 March 1978 Nico Retief,
Mayor		 1st time; on 4 November 1977, South African claim to Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands declared "null and void" and are named "integral parts of Namibia" by the United Nations (formally 28 July 1978, by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 432)
17 March 1978 to 28 March 1980 A. Prinsloo,
Mayor
28 March 1980 to 27 March 198? Hester E. M. Deissler,
Mayor		 1st time
28 March 198? to 17 March 1983 Nico Retief,
Mayor		 2nd time
18 March 1983 to 1 November 1988 Christoffel L. de Jager,
Mayor
2 November 1988 to 6 December 1989 Hester E. M. Deissler,
Mayor		 2nd time
7 December 1989 to 4 October 1991 Nico Retief,
Mayor		 3rd time
25 October 1991 to 29 October 1992 Ronald Noel "Buddy" Bramwell,
Mayor
30 October 1992 to 8 November 1993 Jacobus N. "Koot" Blaauw,
Mayor
9 November 1993 to 22 August 1994 Bryce Gerard Edwards,
Mayor
Joint Administrative Authority (in Pretoria)
15 January 1993 to 28 February 1994 Under joint Namibian-South African administration
15 January 1993 to 28 February 1994 Nangolo Mbumba,
Chief Executive Officer		 Representing Namibia
Carl von Hirschberg,
Chief Executive Officer		 Representing South Africa
1 March 1994 Walvis Bay exclave ceded to Republic of Namibia by South Africa

See also

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