| 1937 | According to this year’s
census, the territory’s population comprises 330 000 "blacks", 18 128
Afrikaners, 9 632 Germans and 2 395 British subjects. The SA "native reserves" policy is extended to the "Okavango Native Territory" by Proclamation No. 32 of 1937, with all financial provisions as applied in the case of Ovamboland – "in the interest and calculated to promote the welfare of the tribes and as directed by the Administrator". The Ovambo leader in Lüderitz, Thomas Ndili, petitions against the Proclamation No. 29 of 1935. He is deported as "agitator" to Ovamboland by the SWA Administration. |
| 19.03. | The UNSWP organises a special congress in Windhoek where members express their disappointment regarding the SA Government’s reaction to the Van Zyl Commission’s report. |
| 22.06. | The Kaokoland Chief Vita Tom dies near Okahao (Ongandjera area). His successor is Moses Ndjai from Okorosave. |
| 24.06. | The Deutscher Südwest Bund (DSWB) is founded to fill the vacuum left in the wake of the Deutscher Bund’s collapse, and that of other German organisations. The DSWB leaders are John Meinert, Wilhelm Buthut, E Sander and Hans Hirsekorn. There are several reshuffles and demotions of the section’s leaders, so that between 1934 and 1938 there are no fewer than five leaders: Albert Voigts, Wilhelm Schwietering, M Neuendorf, Hans Hirsekorn and Ernst Dressel. |
| 27.06. | The Deutsche Front is disbanded. |
| 01.07. | The South African Proclamation No. 51 of 1937 comes into force inter alia prohibiting aliens in SWA from becoming members of political parties. The UNSWP, the Deutscher Bund and the Economic Party are declared to be recognised political parties in accordance with this proclamation. |
| October | The SA National Party’s Transvaal Congress passes a motion that the SA Government cannot administer SWA without German consent. |
| 1938 | Simon Boois (a.k.a. Simon
Frederiks or !Hanamub #Naoxamab) becomes Headman of the Bethany Nama (until 1977). The copper mine at Tsumeb re-opens, but will be closed one year later due to the outbreak of World War Two. Some copper production is also initiated at the Sinclair Mine. |
| 06.02. | Similar to the "Otjiserandu" (Red Band Organisation or Truppenspieler) of the Ovaherero and the "Green Band Organisation" of the Dama, the Ovambo also have a Truppenspieler-Organisation. From 1938 they hold annual memorial services on the anniversaries of King Mandume ya Ndemufayo at the colonial "Mandume Campaign Memorial" at the Windhoek railway station. |
| 07.04. | German members of the Legislative Assembly demand an amended naturalisation law, as well as German as an official language. |
| 08.08. | After the SWA Administration conduct three investigations against Diederik Ruben Goliath, the colonial authorities organise a tribal meeting at Berseba that finally leads to his disposal. This is due to his opposition to the South African native reserve policy. The conflict is increased by the tensions between the Goliath and Isaak clans and the opposition of the Isaak candidate, Edward Isaak. Diederik Ruben Goliath is ordered out of the Berseba reserve and sent into exile at Hoachanas. In his place, two headmen, as representatives of the two opposing clans, are appointed. Thus the superiority of the colonial administration is now well established, also in Berseba. Edward Isaak, however, refuses to serve as one of the two headmen. His same-named son (Edward Isaak Jr.) is nominated instead. The Goliath family is represented by David Vries. |
| 04.11. | The pro-Union section in the UNSWP forms the South West Africa League, which nominates Colonel Hamman, L Taljaard and John Dermot Lardner-Burke to represent the League at a conference in Bulawayo, where it is decided to oppose all German colonial claims and to keep SWA permanently in the British Empire. |
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