Farewell to a Namibian Icon

In February the sad news was shared that the only constant in Independence Avenue in Windhoek over the last 127 years is closing its doors. Wecke & Voigts, at 129 years the oldest company in Namibia, has announced that the retail outlet in the Gustav Voigts Centre as well as the shop in Grove Mall will be closed in June and March respectively. The department store in the main street is a favourite among tourists and locals alike, selling everything from kitchenware to clothing and curios, while its Kaffee Bar is a popular meeting place for business people and shoppers.

The reasons given for the closure were declining sales over the last couple of years while the impact of COVD-19 seems to have been the final nail in the coffin. In celebration of the deep mark that Wecke & Voigts has left on the Namibian business landscape, let’s take a brief look at the company’s history.

It all started when Fritz Wecke, a German national living in neighbouring South Africa, realised that the gold rush of 1886 would cause a rapid population increase in the Transvaal Republic and set up a trading post to capitalise on this new market. Soon he looked towards the German colony of South West Africa for further opportunities to expand his business. The cattle bred by the Herero people were of excellent quality and much sought after. Wecke sent his young assistant, fellow countryman (and soon to be partner) Albert Voigts, to the German colony to establish a trading post for exchanging cattle for goods. Albert’s brother Gustav, who had recently arrived in South Africa, accompanied him.

On arriving in Windhoek, the German administration asked Albert to register a name for the new venture and, caught slightly off guard, the first thing that came to his mind was Wecke & Voigts. A name that stuck.

The first Wecke & Voigts store opened in Okahandja in a tiny dwelling rented from Herero Chief Samuel Maharero in 1892 – the same year that Swakopmund was founded. Goods traded for oxen included everything from spades and buckets to cooking pots. They were ordered from London and Hamburg, shipped to Walvis Bay and hauled by ox-wagon to Okahandja, 270 km away.

Expanding further, a Wecke & Voigts store was opened in Windhoek in 1894 on the same property where it has been ever since. That year Fritz Wecke gave up his interests in the Transvaal and opened another branch store in Swakopmund.

Running the business in the German colony wasn’t easy. Wecke & Voigts narrowly escaped financial ruin after the country was severely hit by Rinderpest in 1897 and yet again during the Herero uprising of 1904 to 1907.

Albert Voigts left the business in 1906 and became one of the pioneers of karakul farming in the country. Fritz Wecke died of a stroke in Swakopmund in 1913.

The First World War brought its share of hardships. Gustav, holidaying in Germany in 1914, became stuck there at the

outbreak of the war. He served as an officer in the Imperial German Army for the duration of the war and was only able to return home in 1920. Meanwhile, his brother Richard had to run the company in South West Africa and deal with the disruptions caused by the war.

After the war, economic depression sets in, accompanied by a drought which lasted for 14 years. Wecke & Voigts suffered enormous losses due to unpaid debts of Germans who had mainly bought on credit during the war years and were deported when the South African government took over.

In order to stay in business, Wecke & Voigts was also selling most of the goods on credit because many customers simply had no cash. Farmers tried to pay in kind and offered anything from animal hides to homemade soap.

After enjoying somewhat more prosperity during the late 1930s and surviving another war, Wecke & Voigts opened the wholesale division of the business in 1946.

With Dieter Voigts at the helm, representing the third generation, a new building was constructed on the Windhoek premises in 1964. Wecke & Voigts made history by opening the country’s first self-service store on the upper floor of the new premises. The wholesale department was housed on the lower level.

1971 saw the redevelopment of the property. Gustav Voigts Centre was officially opened in early 1973: An ultra-modern shopping centre at its time, spanning three floors, complete with escalators, a multiple-level parking garage and a highrise hotel (now the Avani Windhoek Hotel and Casino). The new Wecke & Voigts department store was the first fully airconditioned shop in Namibia.

Not long after Namibia’s independence, the company celebrated its centenary in 1992. Seven years later a newly renovated Wecke & Voigts was opened, boasting a new facade which is instantly recognisable when driving down Independence Avenue.

Superspar Maerua opened in 2006, followed by Superspar Grove, Spar Hochland, Spar Westlane and – soon to come – Spar Klein Windhoek.

What’s Next?

Although it is sad to see a Windhoek landmark disappear, it’s not all doom and gloom, however. The two closures do not affect the five Wecke & Voigts SPAR supermarkets or Wecke & Voigts Wholesale. The company also announced that the staff from the closed shops will be absorbed by the group where possible. As the company’s history shows it has had its fair share of ups and downs, but through diversification and ingenuity managed to survive despite economic odds.

Le Roux van Schalkwyk