# Gert Hanekom

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{{Short description|Namibian politician (1930–1999)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific_prefix    = <small>[The Honourable](/source/The_Honourable)</small>
|name                = Gert Hanekom
|caption             = 
|order               =

|office1              = [Minister of Environment and Tourism](/source/Ministry_of_Environment_and_Tourism_(Namibia))
|term_start1          = 1995
|term_end1            = 1997
|president1           = [Sam Nujoma](/source/Sam_Nujoma)
|predecessor1         = [Niko Bessinger](/source/Niko_Bessinger)
|successor1           = [Philemon Malima](/source/Philemon_Malima)

|office2              = [Minister of Finance](/source/Ministry_of_Finance_(Namibia))
|term_start2          = 1992
|term_end2            = 1995
|president2           = Sam Nujoma
|predecessor2         = [Otto Herrigel](/source/Otto_Herrigel)
|successor2           = [Helmut Angula](/source/Helmut_Angula)

|office3              = [Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development](/source/Ministry_of_Agriculture_(Namibia))
|term_start3          = 1990
|term_end3            = 1992
|president3           = Sam Nujoma
|predecessor3         = ''position established''
|successor3           = [Anton von Wietersheim](/source/Anton_von_Wietersheim)

|birth_date          = {{Birth date text|30 March 1930}}
|birth_place         = [Redelinghuys](/source/Redelinghuys), [South Africa](/source/South_Africa)
|death_date          = {{Death date and age|2 December 1999|30 March 1930}}
|death_place         = [Windhoek](/source/Windhoek), [Namibia](/source/Namibia)
|party               = 24px [SWAPO](/source/SWAPO) 
|relations           = 
|children            = 3
|alma_mater          = 
|occupation          = 
|profession          = 
|signature           = 
|website             = 
|footnotes           = 
}}

'''Gerhardus Jacobus 'Gert' Hanekom''' (30 March 1930—2 December 1999), affectionately known as '''Oom Gert''' ({{langx|af|Uncle Gert}}), was a [Namibia](/source/Namibia)n politician serving in several ministerial portfolios.

==Biography==
Hanekom was born on 30 March 1930 in [Redelinghuys](/source/Redelinghuys) in [South Africa](/source/South_Africa){{'s}} [Western Cape](/source/Western_Cape).<ref name=Leistner>{{Cite book | title=Namibia 1990: An Africa Institute Country Survey | last1=Leistner | first1=Gerhard Max Erich | last2=Esterhuysen | first2=Pieter | publisher=Africa Institute of South Africa | year=1991 | page=227 | isbn=9780798301084 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UuUvAQAAIAAJ&q=gerhardus+hanekom}}</ref> He attended school there and graduated from the [University of South Africa](/source/University_of_South_Africa) as a [chartered accountant](/source/chartered_accountant). He subsequently worked as accountant in the private sector.<ref name=Parliament>{{Cite web | title= Hanekom, Gerhardus J. | publisher = [Parliament of Namibia](/source/Parliament_of_Namibia) | accessdate=23 April 2022  | url=https://www.parliament.na/dt_team/hanekom-j-gerhardus-2/}}</ref> In 1956 he took up accounting work in [Windhoek](/source/Windhoek)<ref name=Leistner/> and founded ''Hanekom & Kie'' in 1975, an accounting company that developed into the local [PricewaterhouseCoopers](/source/PricewaterhouseCoopers) dependance.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Buchprüferriese feiert 40-jähriges Bestehen | trans-title=Accounting giant celebrates 40 years of existence | language=de | newspaper=[Allgemeine Zeitung](/source/Allgemeine_Zeitung_(Namibia)) | date=20 October 2015 | url=https://www.az.com.na/nachrichten/buchprferriese-feiert-40-jhriges-bestehen}}</ref>

Although initially a member of the [Afrikaner nationalist](/source/Afrikaner_nationalist) [National Party](/source/National_Party_(South_Africa)) (NP),<ref name=Parliament/> Hanekom disassociated with its [apartheid](/source/apartheid) policies over time. He and other NP members left and founded [Action National Settlement](/source/Action_National_Settlement) in 1986, a party that later joined the [National Patriotic Front](/source/National_Patriotic_Front_(Namibia)).<ref name="Menges">{{cite news | url=https://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=2115&page=archive-read | title=Ex-NP stalwart Van Zijl dies | last=Menges | first=Werner | date=15 January 2009 | page=1 | newspaper=[The Namibian](/source/The_Namibian) | location=Windhoek | url-status=live | archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130111215928/http://www.namibian.com.na/news-articles/national/full-story/archive/2009/january/article/ex-np-stalwart-van-zijl-dies/ | archivedate=11 January 2013}}</ref> Hanekom worked with [SWAPO](/source/SWAPO) shortly before [Namibian independence](/source/Independence_of_Namibia) and joined the party in 1990.<ref name=State>{{Cite news | title=State to honour Hanekom | newspaper=[The Namibian](/source/The_Namibian) | date=8 December 1999 | url=https://www.namibian.com.na/archive19982004/1999/December/local/honour.html | archive-date=23 April 2022 | access-date=23 April 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423194919/https://www.namibian.com.na/archive19982004/1999/December/local/honour.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Hanekom joined the [National Assembly](/source/National_Assembly_(Namibia)) in 1990 by appointment of president [Sam Nujoma](/source/Sam_Nujoma) as Namibia's first [Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development](/source/Ministry_of_Agriculture_(Namibia)).<ref name=State/> In 1992 he was moved to the [finance portfolio](/source/Ministry_of_Finance_(Namibia)), and in 1995 he became [Minister of Environment and Tourism](/source/Ministry_of_Environment_and_Tourism_(Namibia)). He served until 1997 when he took over as head of the President's Economic Advisory Council.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Hanekom dies | last=Amupadhi | first=Tangeni | authorlink=Tangeni Amupadhi | newspaper=[The Namibian](/source/The_Namibian) | date=3 December 1999 | url=https://www.namibian.com.na/archive19982004/1999/December/local/hanekom.html | archive-date=23 April 2022 | access-date=23 April 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423194923/https://www.namibian.com.na/archive19982004/1999/December/local/hanekom.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Hanekom was ill with cancer and heart problems. He died on 2 December 1999 and was awarded a [state funeral](/source/state_funeral).<ref name=State/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanekom, Gert}}
Category:1930 births
Category:1999 deaths
Category:Politicians from the Western Cape
Category:Members of the National Assembly (Namibia)
Category:SWAPO politicians
Category:Environment and tourism ministers of Namibia
Category:Finance ministers of Namibia
Category:Agriculture ministers of Namibia

{{Namibia-politician-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gert Hanekom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gert_Hanekom) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gert_Hanekom?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.