Traditional Leadership
The first Kaptain was Hermanus van Wyk, the 'Moses' of the Baster nation who led the community to Rehoboth from South Africa and remained Kaptein until his death in 1905. After his death, the Rehoboth Basters elected Cornelius van Wyk to be their Kaptein. He was however not officially recognised by the German colonial government nor by the South African authorities after their take-over in 1915.
In 1976, the South African government approved the ‘Rehoboth Self-government Act’ providing autonomy for the Basters. In 1979, Kaptein Johannes "Hans" Diergaardt was elected in accordance with the regulations of the 1976 Act. In 1999, John McNab was elected Kaptein. Since February 2007, the Rehoboth Basters are represented by the Kapteins Council at the UNPO.
Read more about this topic: Baster
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