History of Walvis Bay

The first European, the renowned Portuguese navigator Bartholomew Dias anchored his flagship "Sao Cristovao" in Walvis Bay on 8 December 1487, on his expedition to find a searoute to the East via the Cape of Good Hope. He named the bay Golfo de Santa Maria da Conceicao. However, the Portuguese did not formally take claim to Walvis Bay. It was annexed by GreatBritain in 1840 in the scramble for Africa to forestall German ambitions in the region and to ensure safe passage of British ships around the Cape.

In 1910, Walvis Bay, as well as the Cape Colony became part of the newly formed Union of South Africa. A dispute arose with Germany over the enclaves boundaries which was eventually settled in 1911. In 1915 South African forces ousted the Germans and Walvis Bay was quickly integrated into the new martial law regime established in South West Africa. South Africa was later awarded control over South West Africa by the League of Nations.

1921 saw civilian rule restored in South West Africa and Walvis Bay became an integral part of same. However, with independence imminent, South Africa transferred power over Walvis Bay back to its Cape Province in 1971. In 1978 the United Nations Security Council provided for bilateral negotiations between South Africa and a future Namibia to resolve the political status of Walvis Bay, but with Namibian independence on 21 March 1990 Walvis Bay still remained under South African control. The local business community and investors in Walvis Bay applied pressure on the South African authorities to resolve the political status and finally in 1994 Walvis Bay was formally returned to Namibia. Industry and Tourism has since developed dramatically in Walvis Bay, the western gateway to Southern Africa, making it an economic hub for future development and a must on the itinerary for any tourist to Namibia.

The Topnaar people are indigenous to the Kuiseb area. They lived mainly on whale meat, fish and the nara-melon, which grows in the Kuisebdelta. Their initial direct contact with Europeans came with the first missionaries to the Bay in 1845. A missionary by the name of Scheppmann established a station at Rooibank with the aim to do missionary work between the Topnaar-Hottentots.