President Sam Nujoma Children 2 Political party SWAPO Spouse(s) Karin Herrigel Education University of Basel | Nationality Namibian Role Lawyer Preceded by position established Name Otto Herrigel | |
Born 27 June 1937
Walvis Bay ( 1937-06-27 ) Alma mater University of Heidelberg
University of Basel Died May 13, 2013, Windhoek, Namibia | ||
Otto Herrigel (27 June 1937 – 13 May 2013) was a Namibian lawyer, businessman, and politician. He served as Namibia's first Finance Minister between 1990 and 1992.
Herrigel was born in Walvis Bay and grew up in Swakopmund. He studied economics at University of Heidelberg, and in 1971 obtained a doctoral degree from University of Basel, his thesis was about the demographic and economic development of South West Africa since 1921.
A member of SWAPO since before Independence of Namibia, Herrigel worked as lawyer, businessman, and farmer, before he was appointed Namibia's first Minister of Finance on 21 March 1990. Prominent businessman and then-Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Harold Pupkewitz commented "Dr Herrigel [is a] man of decision-making abilities and sound judgement". Herrigel resigned in 1992, reportedly due to differences with president Sam Nujoma over fiscal policy and the procurement of a presidential aircraft. Afterwards Herrigel was on the board of the Bank of Namibia (1998-2008), and on the board of directors of TransNamib (2001-2002).
Herrigel and his wife Karin raised two GDR kids as foster children, children that were removed from their parents and brought up in the German Democratic Republic.