Epukiro

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Epukiro
Settlement
Epukiro, Omauezonjanda location.jpg
The Post 3 (Omauezonjanda) location within Epukiro.
Namibia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Epukiro
Location in Namibia
Coordinates: 21°42′00″S19°07′00″E / 21.70000°S 19.11667°E / -21.70000; 19.11667
CountryFlag of Namibia.svg  Namibia
Region Omaheke Region
Constituency Epukiro Constituency
Elevation
4,793 ft (1,461 m)
Time zone UTC+2 (South African Standard Time)
Climate BSh

Epukiro is a cluster of small settlements in the remote eastern part of the Omaheke Region of Namibia, situated about 120 kilometres (75 mi) northeast of the regional capital Gobabis. [1] The centre of the populated area is the Catholic mission station. [2] Epukiro had about 3,200 inhabitants in 1997, predominantly ethnic Tswana. [3]

Contents

Epukiro was since Namibian independence part of Otjinene Constituency. This constituency was split in 2004 and the new Epukiro Constituency was created. [4]

History

The settlement was formed in 1902 when Roman Catholic Church bought the 30,000 ha farm Epukiro. Namesake of the farm and the settlement is the Epukiro River, an ephemeral river which cuts the farm from west to east. [3]

A mission station was founded in 1904 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a Catholic congregation. [5] It was destroyed one year later during the Herero and Namaqua War. The German colonial administration opened a post office in 1905. [6]

The Herero and Namaqua War of 1904–1907 saw tens of thousands of Ovaherero killed, almost its entire population. [7] Survivors had lost their land and cattle, and the land originally in the hands of the Herero was now farmland in the possession of white settlers. When after World War I Germany lost all its colonies and South-West Africa became mandate territory of South Africa, the new administration was unable, perhaps unwilling, to undo the land transfer. [8] A South African administrator writes:

"Seeing that the whole Hereroland was confiscated by the Germans and cut up into farms and is now settled by Europeans it would be an impossible project ... to place them back on their tribal lands." [8]

To accommodate the Ovaherero, the South African administration created eight "native reserves" for them of which the Epukiro Reserve was one. [8] The Epukiro Reserve as administrative structure existed until the 1970s.

People

Epukiro is inhabited by Tswana, Ovambanderu, and San people. Ovambanderu and Herero people share the same ancestry. Herero see the Mbanderu as one of their clans while Mbanderu regard themselves as a distinct group. This difference is the cause of a decades–old rift between the two, with one faction, the Ovambanderu Council of Epukiro and Aminuis seeking recognition of the Mbanderu as a distinct tribe. The other faction aims for a strong and united Herero people under the Tjamuaha-Maharero Royal House and accuses the Mbanderu of artificial division. [9]

Today the Ovambanderu Traditional Authority is the heir of the Ovambanderu Council. Their headquarters is situated at the Post 3 (Otjiherero : Omauezonjanda) location at the outskirts of Epukiro, 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of its centre ( 21°36′S19°25′E / 21.600°S 19.417°E / -21.600; 19.417 ). [2] The royal homestead is located at Ezorongondo. [10]

After the death of Mbanderu paramount chief Munjuku Nguvauva II in 2008 the rift in the Ovambanderu community deepened. One faction calling themselves the "Concerned Group" supported Keharanjo Nguvauva as successor to the throne. They crowned him in 2008 because he was born in wedlock of Munjuku and his wife Aletta. The other faction of the Ovambanderu Traditional Authority favoured his older half-brother, Deputy Minister of Fisheries Kilus Nguvauva. A government enquiry commission confirmed Keharanjo as chief in 2009. [2] After the death of Keharanjo, Aletta was elected as the paramount chief to succeed her son Keharanjo.

Economy and Infrastructure

The village is underdeveloped with regards to access to safe water and sanitation, and medical care. There is a government clinic at Epukiro but no ambulance and no mortuary. [4] The main economic activity is farming with cattle and goats. [3] While the Mbanderu are reasonably well-off, the San live in abject poverty. [1]

Epukiro is situated on the national road C22 halfway between Okakarara and Gobabis. It is further connected by road to Gam, Okatumba and Eiseb, and to Otjombinde. [11] These roads are not tarred and in generally bad shape. [4]

Education

There are four schools in the Epukiro area, among them:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omaheke Region</span> Region in Namibia

Omaheke is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, the least populous region. Its capital is Gobabis. It lies in eastern Namibia on the border with Botswana and is the western extension of the Kalahari Desert. The self-governed villages of Otjinene, Leonardville and Witvlei are situated in the region. As of 2020, Omaheke had 48,594 registered voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gobabis</span> City in Omaheke Region, Namibia

Gobabis is a town in eastern Namibia. It is the regional capital of the Omaheke Region, and the district capital of the Gobabis electoral constituency. Gobabis is situated 200 km (120 mi) down the B6 motorway from Windhoek to Botswana. The town is 113 km (70 mi) from the Buitepos border post with Botswana, and serves as an important link to South Africa on the tarred Trans-Kalahari Highway. Gobabis is in the heart of the cattle farming area. In fact Gobabis is so proud of its cattle farming that a statue of a large Brahman bull with the inscription "Cattle Country" greets visitors to the town. Gobabis also has its own local airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popular Democratic Movement</span> Political party in Namibia

The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) is an amalgamation of political parties in Namibia, registered as one singular party for representation purposes. In coalition with the United Democratic Front, it formed the official opposition in Parliament until the parliamentary elections in 2009. The party currently holds 16 seats in the Namibian National Assembly and one seat in the Namibian National Council and is the official opposition. McHenry Venaani is president of the PDM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otjimbingwe</span> Settlement in Erongo Region, Namibia

Otjimbingwe is a settlement in the Erongo Region of central Namibia. Otjimbingwe has approximately 8,000 inhabitants and belongs to the Karibib electoral constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maharero</span> Herero chief

Maharero kaTjamuaha was one of the most powerful paramount chiefs of the Herero people in South-West Africa, today's Namibia.

Munjuku Nguvauva II was a Namibian traditional paramount chief and leader of the Ovambanderu people, a subtribe of the Herero. Nguvauva was also deputy chief of Namibia's Traditional Leaders Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heroes' Acre (Namibia)</span> War memorial in Namibia

Heroes' Acre is an official war memorial of the Republic of Namibia. Built into the uninhabited hills 10 kilometres (6 mi) south of the city centre of Windhoek, Heroes' Acre opened on 26 August 2002. It was created to "foster a spirit of patriotism and nationalism, and to pass [this] to the future generations of Namibia".

Kahimemua Nguvauva was chief of the Ovambanderu, a Herero clan in Namibia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aminuis Constituency</span> Electoral constituency in the Omaheke region of eastern Namibia

Aminuis Constituency is an electoral constituency in the Omaheke Region of Namibia. It had 12,343 inhabitants in 2004 and 7,847 registered voters in 2020. The district capital is the settlement of Aminuis. The constituency forms part of the border between Namibia and Botswana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epukiro Constituency</span> Electoral constituency in the Omaheke region of eastern Namibia

Epukiro Constituency is an electoral constituency in the Omaheke Region of Namibia. It had 6,101 inhabitants in 2004 and 4,646 registered voters in 2020. Its district capital is the settlement of Epukiro, it further contains the settlements of Otjinoko, Otjijarua, Omauezonjanda, and Otjimanangombe. The royal homestead of the Ovambanderu people is situated in this constituency in the settlement of Ezorongondo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonardville, Namibia</span> Village in Omaheke Region, Namibia

Leonardville is a village in eastern Namibia, situated on the Nossob River in the south-western corner of the Omaheke Region. It belongs to the Aminuis electoral constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franz Heinrich Kleinschmidt</span>

Franz Heinrich Kleinschmidt (1812–1864) was a German missionary and linguist who worked in southern Africa, now in the region of Namibia. He founded the missionary station and town of Rehoboth and together with Carl Hugo Hahn set up the first Rhenish mission station to the Herero people in Gross Barmen. Kleinschmidt is known for his scientific work on the Nama language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keharanjo Nguvauva</span> The late Paramount Chief of Ovambanderu

Keharanjo II Xavier Komavau Nguvauva was the youngest Chief of the Ovambanderu, a Herero clan in Namibia. Keharanjo was born to the Ovambanderu family to the then Chief Munjuku Nguvauva II and his wife Aletta Karikondua Nguvauva. He was reported dead on the evening of Friday 8 April 2011 in the residential area of Khomasdal, Windhoek where he committed suicide using an electric wire.

The Red Nation is the main subtribe of the Nama people in Namibia and the oldest Nama group speaking Khoekhoegowab, the language often called Damara/Nama.

Ezorongondo is a settlement in the Epukiro Constituency in the Omaheke Region in Namibia. The village is the seat of the Ovambanderu royal house.

Nikanor Hoveka was chief of the Ovambanderu, a Herero clan in Namibia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aminuis</span> Settlement in Omaheke Region, Namibia

Aminuis is a cluster of small settlements in the remote eastern part of the Omaheke Region of Namibia, located about 500 km east of Windhoek. It is the district capital of the Aminuis electoral constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constance Kgosiemang</span> Namibian Tswana paramount chief and politician

Constance Letang Kgosiemang was the paramount chief of the Tswana people in Namibia, a parliamentarian, and the leader of the Seoposengwe Party until its merger into the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA).

The Mbanderu are a population inhabiting eastern parts of Namibia and western parts of Botswana. They speak Otjiherero, a Bantu language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eiseb</span> Settlement in Omaheke Region, Namibia

Eiseb, also Eiseb Block, is a settlement in the Omaheke Region of Namibia. It is named after the Eiseb River, an ephemeral river (omuramba) in the Kalahari Desert. Eiseb is situated on the District road D1635 c. 350 kilometres (220 mi) northeast of Tallismanus and belongs to the Otjombinde electoral constituency.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ein Traum wird wahr: Klinik für Buschleute" [A dream comes true:Clinic for Bushmen]. Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 31 October 2005. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Weidlich, Brigitte (21 June 2010). "Rift between Mbanderu factions deepens". The Namibian .
  3. 1 2 3 Witte, Marc (1997). "Ökologische Bedingungen der kleinbäuerlichen Landwirtschaft in semiariden Gebieten Namibias und das Fallbeispiel Omaheke" [Ecological conditions of small farmers in semi-arid regions of Namibia, and the case study of Omaheke.] (in German). University of Osnabrück via www.marcwitte.de. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 Tjaronda, Wezi (30 March 2006). "Epukiro Tired of Waiting". New Era .[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ "Oblates of Mary Immaculate. 100 years in Namibia. 1896-2005". Roman Catholic Church Namibia. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  6. ↑ Dierks, Klaus. "Chronology of Namibian History, 1905". klausdierks.com. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  7. ↑ UN Whitaker Report on Genocide, 1985, paragraphs 14 to 24, pages 5 to 10 Prevent Genocide International
  8. 1 2 3 Dierks, Klaus. "Chronology of Namibian History, 1919". klausdierks.com. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  9. ↑ Dierks, Klaus. "Chronology of Namibian History, 1960". klausdierks.com. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  10. ↑ Weidlich, Brigitte (23 December 2008). "Police instruct Chief not to hold Ezorongondo meeting". The Namibian .
  11. ↑ "Omaheke Roads: Is There A Glimmer Of Hope?". The Namibian . 24 November 2009.
  12. ↑ Kangueehi, Kuvee. "No title". New Era . Archived from the original on 2013-02-21.
  13. ↑ Weidlich, Brigitte (10 September 2007). "170 Epukiro children not at school". The Namibian .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.