He led the Nama people during their revolts against the German colonial empire in present-day Namibia, in connection with the events surrounding the Herero and Namaqua Genocide.

Witbooi is regarded as one of the national heroes of Namibia, and his face is portrayed on the obverse of all N$50, N$100, and N$200 Namibian dollar banknotes.

Witbooi was educated at Rhenish Missionary and Wesleyan Methodist Schools in Namibia as well as at the Wilberforce Institute in Evaton, South Africa.

First, he took up employment as a teacher in 1856 at Keetmanshoop, transferred in 1859 to Maltahöhe, and returned in 1865 to Gibeon at the request of the community and the Church to build on the foundations laid by his aging father.

As evidenced by his diaries (which contain a large portion of the surviving documents of Witbooi) he still admired his father greatly, despite their political difference.

Several combats incorporated various leaders ensured until Hendrik finally defeated his last chief rival, Paul Visser, in July 1888 and took over leadership at Gibeon.

Witbooi also decided to render military support for the Germans against other smaller tribes, such as the eastern Mbanderu Herero, Afrikaners, and Swartbooi.

During the ensuing war with the Germans in 1904–1905, Witbooi rallied his people with the conviction God had guided them to fight for their freedom from the imperialists.

Founding president Sam Nujoma remarked in his inauguration speech on 26 August 2002 that: Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi was the first African leader who took up arms against the German imperialists and foreign occupiers in defence of our land and territorial integrity.

We, the new generation of the Land of the Brave, are inspired by Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi's revolutionary action in combat against the German Imperialists who colonized and oppressed our peoples.