Staff Reporter
THE Windhoek City Police’s headquarters building is poised to undergo a renaming in honour of Abraham Kanime, the retired founding Chief of the Windhoek City Police. Kanime led the municipal police force from its inception in 2002 until his retirement.
Currently, the building is known as the PA de Wet building and is located at the intersection of Essen and Sishen Street in Windhoek North. However, the origin and identity of the person named PA de Wet, after whom the building is named, remain unknown as no successful trace of their identity has been established.
The City of Windhoek indicated that, based on verbal confirmations and National Archive records, PA de Wet served as the inaugural Administrator of Katutura Township during the execution of the Segregation Policy. This policy enforced the separation and independent development of various racial groups, a practice condemned as an international offense by the UN General Assembly in November 1973 through the International Convention on the Elimination and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid.
The City of Windhoek also expressed that renaming the PA de Wet Building to Chief AK Kanime aligns with the continuous objective of honouring and commemorating individuals who made significant contributions to the progress of the Municipal Council of Windhoek and the broader Namibian society.
“The Place and Street Naming/Renaming Policy makes provision to, among others, recognize persons who have contributed to Windhoek and Namibia and strengthen community identity and noteworthy persons associated with the city or Namibia in general,” said the City of Windhoek.
Chief Abraham Kanime was a member of the Namibian Defense Force between 1991 and 1994. Subsequently, from 1995 to 2000, he became part of the Police Force, holding positions as Station Commander and Regional Commander. In 2001, Kanime joined the City of Windhoek and played a crucial role in setting up the Windhoek City Police, ensuring its effective implementation, and ultimately becoming its Founding Chief.
Kanime served as the Chief of the Windhoek Municipal Police Service from its inception until his retirement in April 2023. Throughout his tenure, he remained dedicated to enhancing public safety and security for the people of Windhoek and Namibia, the city of Windhoek expressed.
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