Jonker Afrikaner (3 February 1785, 18 August 1861, Okahandja) was the fourth Captain of the

Orlam The Oorlam or Orlam people (also known as Orlaam, Oorlammers, Oerlams, or Orlamse Hottentots) are a subtribe of the Nama people, largely assimilated after their migration from the Cape Colony (today, part of South Africa) to Namaqualand and Dam ...

in South West Africa, succeeding his father, Jager Afrikaner, in 1823. Soon after becoming ''Kaptein'', he left his father's settlement at Blydeverwacht with three brothers and some 300 followers and relocated to the area that is today central

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

. From 1825 onwards he and his council played a dominant political role in Damaraland and Namaland, creating a '' de facto'' state. Around 1840, he established a settlement at

Windhoek Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...

where he built a church for a congregation of between 500 and 600 in the area of the present-day

Klein Windhoek Klein Windhoek ( in German) is an affluent suburb of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. History The British explorer James Alexander had already visited the area in 1837. Klein Windhoek is the oldest part of the town, having been established in ...

suburb. He is further known for his road-building activities in central and southern Namibia, particularly the one over the Auas Mountains to the south and the northern Bay Road from Windhoek to

Walvis Bay Walvis Bay (; ; ) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the List of cities in Namibia, second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The city covers an area of of land. The bay is a ...

. Missionary Hugo Hahn estimated in 1852 that the formation Jonker Afrikaner ruled over consisted of 1500 ethnic Oorlams, 2000 Hereros, and 2000 Damaras. He was the father of Christian Afrikaner who succeeded him as chief of the Orlams in 1861, and Jan Jonker Afrikaner who succeeded Christian in 1863.

References

1780s births 1861 deaths People from the Cape Winelands District Municipality Dutch Cape Colony people Nama people Oorlam people People from Windhoek City founders {{Africa-hist-stub