20th century – 20th century
South West Africa
The depression and drought of 1928–33 produced the harshest economic conditions of the interwar period in South West Africa. Rainfall during the next five years was 60 per cent below average, mines reduced production and closed, diamond sales collapsed, and government revenue fell sharply. Black stockowners were pushed from white farms into reserves, while relief remained unequal. The crisis also encouraged deeper state intervention in Owambo and intensified pressure on migrant labour systems.
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The Story
The year 1928–29 marked the beginning of the driest period of the interwar years. Over the following five years, rainfall across the territory was 60 per cent below average. At roughly the same time, the worldwide depression reached Namibia: mines first cut production and then closed, while diamond sales fell from more than £2 million annually before the slump to £91,000 by 1933.
The crisis sharply reduced government income and produced a large deficit, prompting heavy cuts in expenditure. In the Police Zone, black stockowners were forced off white farms into reserves. Destitute people, both white and black, moved toward Windhoek and other urban centres, while white farmers and workers received state assistance on a much larger scale than black stockowners.
Relief projects reflected these racial inequalities. White workers built the Avis Dam near the capital, while only limited assistance was available to black stockowners. In Windhoek, approximately one hundred labourers were employed to reorganise the town’s layout in 1932–33, but the broader relief effort remained inadequate for the large number of unemployed Africans.
20th century – 20th century
South West Africa
The depression and drought of 1928–33 produced the harshest economic conditions of the interwar period in South West Africa. Rainfall during the next five years was 60 per cent below average, mines reduced production and closed, diamond sales collapsed, and government revenue fell sharply. Black stockowners were pushed from white farms into reserves, while relief remained unequal. The crisis also encouraged deeper state intervention in Owambo and intensified pressure on migrant labour systems.
Continue exploring
The Story
The year 1928–29 marked the beginning of the driest period of the interwar years. Over the following five years, rainfall across the territory was 60 per cent below average. At roughly the same time, the worldwide depression reached Namibia: mines first cut production and then closed, while diamond sales fell from more than £2 million annually before the slump to £91,000 by 1933.
The crisis sharply reduced government income and produced a large deficit, prompting heavy cuts in expenditure. In the Police Zone, black stockowners were forced off white farms into reserves. Destitute people, both white and black, moved toward Windhoek and other urban centres, while white farmers and workers received state assistance on a much larger scale than black stockowners.
Relief projects reflected these racial inequalities. White workers built the Avis Dam near the capital, while only limited assistance was available to black stockowners. In Windhoek, approximately one hundred labourers were employed to reorganise the town’s layout in 1932–33, but the broader relief effort remained inadequate for the large number of unemployed Africans.