Gerhard Tötemeyer: Revered in life and death

Namibia’s first ever director of elections, Professor Gerhard Tötemeyer - who died this week at the age of 88 - has been hailed for his contribution towards strengthening democracy in the country.

Tötemeyer served as deputy minister of local government from 2000 to 2005.

He died of a suspected heart attack, with his family confirming that he was found dead in his home in Swakopmund on Tuesday.

Born in Gibeon in the //Karas Region in 1935, he worked as director of elections from 1992 to 1998. He was also dean of the Faculty of Economics and Management Science at the University of Namibia (Unam) between 1987 and 1993.

Abroad, he worked as associate professor for the Department of Political Studies at the University of Cape Town from 1985 to 1987.

Swapo secretary-general Sophia Shaningwa hailed Tötemeyer, saying he supported and campaigned for the independence of Namibia by opposing the continued administration of apartheid because of his convictions and belief in justice and equality for all.

“He was part of a delegation that visited the leadership of Swapo in Zambia during the liberation struggle and continued to advocate for the independence of Namibia until this dream was realised on 21 March 1990,” she recalled.

Shaningwa extended her and the party's condolences to Tötemeyer’s family, describing him as a “distinguished freedom fighter and renowned academician”.

Vast pool of knowledge

“Professor Tötemeyer was the initiator of the Gesprächskreis [discussion circle] in Swakopmund in 2019, which culminated in the formation of the Forum of German-Speaking Namibians in April 2021 - of which he was a founding member,” the forum’s chairperson Harald Hecht told Namibian Sun yesterday.

“I had the distinct honour of getting to know and working with Professor Tötemeyer regularly over the last four years, and our encounters were always very inspirational to me. What fascinated me - and I am sure everyone in the forum - was his vast pool of knowledge, experience and endless wisdom which he shared cleverly to the benefit of our organisation.”

The forum and the Gesprächskreis will continue to honour Tötemeyer’s legacy, he said.

Honest and patriotic

Former Namibia Housing Enterprise (NHE) CEO Vinson Hailulu, who worked closely with Tötemeyer, said: “I came to know Professor Tötemeyer as an honest, decent, knowledgeable and patriotic Namibian.

“He cherished the ideals of democracy, freedom and, above all, meritocracy - a virtue that many of us miss in the way public affairs are handled.”

Tötemeyer obtained his academic qualifications (BA, BA Hons, MA, SOD, D.Phil) at the University of Stellenbosch and pursued post-graduate studies overseas in Freiburg, Germany. He taught political and administrative studies at the universities of Stellenbosch, Transkei, Cape Town and Namibia.

After Namibia’s independence in 1990, he was appointed to the first delimitation commission, which was tasked with dividing the country into regions, constituencies and local authority areas. Upon leaving parliament, he served on the board of several public enterprises, including NHE and the National Council of Higher Education in Namibia. He also represented Namibia on the SADC Electoral Advisory Council.

Tötemeyer was published widely - both nationally and internationally - on topics dealing with public administration, decentralisation, regional and local governance, policy issues, electoral matters, higher education, religious issues and reconciliation.

His family will soon announce details around his memorial and burial.