Gerhard Tötemeyer

Who is Gerhard Tötemeyer?

Gerhard Karl Hans Tötemeyer is a professor emeritus and retired Namibian politician.

He was born in Gibeon, and spent the first four years of his life in Keetmanshoop, where his father worked as a missionary. When World War II broke out in September 1939, his family was on vacation in Germany, where they remained until 1950. At that time Tötemeyer spoke neither English nor Afrikaans, the official languages of South-West Africa. He did not continue school owing to his language difficulties; the principal would have "placed him in so low a grade that [he] would have been frustrated".

He took up vocational training as a merchant at his uncle's general dealership and caught up with school after hours. When he finished his training in 1953, he enrolled in senior secondary school in Stellenbosch, and matriculated in 1955. He then studied History at the University of Stellenbosch on a stipend awarded by the Administration of South-West Africa. He graduated with a B Hons in 1959 and acquired the Secondary School teacher's diploma in 1960.

Tötemeyer returned to South-West Africa and taught at Windhoek High School in 1961 and 1962.