Hannes Smith
Encyclopedia
Johannes Martin Smith affectionately known as Smithie, was a Namibia
n journalist, editor and publisher. He was first reporter at, then the editor of, the Windhoek Advertiser until 1978 when he and Gwen Lister
founded the Windhoek Observer
, the country's only Saturday paper at that time. He remained the owner and editor of the Observer until his death.
, Otjozondjupa Region
on 17 March 1933. His parents were Angola
n boer
s that participated in the Dorsland Trek
. A White Namibian
, Smith was known for being a muckraker
and anti-establishment journalist that took on both the apartheid government of South Africa
and the post-independence government of the Republic of Namibia, especially President Sam Nujoma
.
that wounded blacks were denied medical treatment by white medical staff, including those at the small Red Cross Society clinic. Smith, a young reporter in Windhoek
at the time of massacre, refuted that claim, stating that he had personally witnessed Black Namibians receiving treatment. Nujoma hit back at Smith, accusing him of blackmail and of lying.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
n journalist, editor and publisher. He was first reporter at, then the editor of, the Windhoek Advertiser until 1978 when he and Gwen Lister
Gwen Lister
Gwen Lister, is a Namibian journalist, publisher, apartheid opponent and press freedom activist.After receiving a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cape Town in 1975, she went to work as a journalist at Namibia's Windhoek Advertiser.In 1978 she co-founded the Namibian weekly Windhoek...
founded the Windhoek Observer
Windhoek Observer
The Windhoek Observer is an English Saturday weekly newspaper, published in Namibia by The Windhoek Observer Ltd. Founded in 1978 by Hannes Smith and Gwen Lister it is the country's oldest and largest circulating weekly....
, the country's only Saturday paper at that time. He remained the owner and editor of the Observer until his death.
Personal
Smith was born in GrootfonteinGrootfontein
Grootfontein is a city of 14,200 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region of central Namibia. It is one of the three towns in the Otavi Triangle, situated on the B8 national road that leads from Windhoek to the Caprivi Strip...
, Otjozondjupa Region
Otjozondjupa
Otjozondjupa region is one of the thirteen regions of Namibia. An outstanding landmark within this region is the Waterberg Plateau Park. Administration offices are based in Otjiwarongo which is the largest town in the region....
on 17 March 1933. His parents were Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
n boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
s that participated in the Dorsland Trek
Dorsland Trek
Dorsland Trek is the collective name of a series of northwards explorations undertaken by South African settlers in the second half of the 19th century in search of political independence...
. A White Namibian
Whites in Namibia
White Namibians are people of European or Southern African birth or descent living in Namibia. Most white Namibians are Afrikaners, while some are descended from German, Portuguese, or English immigrants.- Distribution :...
, Smith was known for being a muckraker
Muckraker
The term muckraker is closely associated with reform-oriented journalists who wrote largely for popular magazines, continued a tradition of investigative journalism reporting, and emerged in the United States after 1900 and continued to be influential until World War I, when through a combination...
and anti-establishment journalist that took on both the apartheid government of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the post-independence government of the Republic of Namibia, especially President Sam Nujoma
Sam Nujoma
Samuel Daniel Shafiishuna Nujoma is a Namibian politician who was the first President of Namibia from 1990 to 2005. He led the South-West Africa People's Organisation in its long struggle against South African rule and took office as President when Namibia obtained independence on 21 March 1990...
.
1959 Old Location Controversy
In August 2003, President Nujoma and Smith became involved in a conflict regarding the events which are called the Old Location Massacre. Nujoma wrote in his autobiography, Where Others Wavered: The Autobiography of Sam NujomaWhere Others Wavered
Where Others Wavered: The Autobiography of Sam Nujoma - My Life in SWAPO and My Participation in the Liberation Struggle of Namibia, commonly known as Where Others Wavered, is an autobiographical work written by Sam Nujoma and published by Panaf Books in 2001...
that wounded blacks were denied medical treatment by white medical staff, including those at the small Red Cross Society clinic. Smith, a young reporter in Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
at the time of massacre, refuted that claim, stating that he had personally witnessed Black Namibians receiving treatment. Nujoma hit back at Smith, accusing him of blackmail and of lying.