Gochas | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Gochas (2017) | |
  Gochas | |
| Coordinates: 24°47′S18°49′E / 24.783°S 18.817°E | |
| Country |  Namibia |
| Population (2023) [1] | |
| • Total | 1,868 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (South African Standard Time) |
| Climate | BWh |
Gochas is a village in the Hardap Region of Namibia. The village had 1,868 inhabitants in 2023.
The village has been the main settlement of the ǃKharakhoen (Fransman Nama), a subtribe of the Nama people, [2] since 1889. [3]
Gochas was a flashpoint in the colonial Herero Wars in German South West Africa. It was used as a military post and camel station under Imperial German rule. In January 1905 the Germans defeated the Nama chief Simon Kooper here. The final battle of the war, the Battle of Seatsub, was fought in Bechuanaland in March 1908. Capt. Friedrich von Erckert was killed in action, and a memorial was built in Gochas. [4]
Gochas is located 110 kilometres (68 mi) southeast of Mariental [5] and 64 kilometres (40 mi) southwest of Stampriet on the way to the Mata Mata border post to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. [6] It lies on the banks of the Auob River 1,150 metres (3,770 ft) above sea level. The area is at the center of a set of Kalahari Desert dune farms on which cattle and sheep graze. [7]
In 1960, the population was reported as 205 whites, 108 mixed-race, and 224 blacks. [7]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 537 | — |
| 2011 | 1,347 | +1.82% |
| 2023 | 1,868 | +2.76% |
| Sources: [7] [1] | ||
Gochas receives an average of 176 millimetres (6.9 in) of rainfall per year. During the 2010s drought a low of 31 mm (1.2 in) was recorded. [8]
Gochas is governed by a village council, established in 1958, that currently [update] has five seats. [9]
The 2015 local authority election was won by the SWAPO party which gained three seats (326 votes). One seat each was won by the Congress of Democrats (CoD, 96 votes) and the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA, 36 votes). [10] The 2020 local authority election was won by the newly formed Landless People's Movement (LPM) which scored well all over Hardap. LPM gained 347 votes and three seats in the village council. SWAPO gained only one seat (147 votes), and the likewise new Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) won the remaining seat with 108 votes. [11]
Hardap is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Mariental. Hardap contains the municipality of Mariental, the towns Rehoboth and Aranos, and the self-governed villages Gibeon, Gochas, Kalkrand, Stampriet and Maltahöhe. It is home to the Hardap Dam.
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.
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.
Keetmanshoop is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia, lying on the Trans-Namib Railway from Windhoek to Upington in South Africa. It is named after Johann Keetman, a German industrialist and benefactor of the city.
Rehoboth is a town in central Namibia just north of the Tropic of Capricorn. Located 90 kilometres south of the Namibian capital Windhoek, Rehoboth lies on a high elevation plateau with several natural hot-water springs. It receives sparse mean annual rainfall of 240 millimetres (9.4 in), although in the 2010/2011 rainy season a record 731 millimetres (28.8 in) were measured. In 2005, it had a population of 21,378 later increased to 28,843 in 2011, according to the 2011 Namibian Population and Housing Census. In 2023, it had increased further to 40,788 people.
Okahandja is a city of 45,159 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the Garden Town of Namibia. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the B1 road. It was founded around 1800, by two local groups, the Herero and the Nama.
Mariental is a town of 10,000 inhabitants in south-central Namibia, lying on the B1 national road 232 kilometres (144 mi) north of Keetmanshoop and 274 kilometres (170 mi) southeast of Windhoek. It lies at an elevation of 1,090 metres (3,580 ft). Mariental is connected to the TransNamib railway line from Windhoek to Keetmanshoop. The town and the surrounding area are situated in a hot, arid region.
Berseba is a village in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia and the district capital of the Berseba electoral constituency. It is situated 100 km (62 mi) north-west of Keetmanshoop near the Brukkaros Mountain, a famous tourist destination.
Bethanie is a village in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It is one of the oldest settlements in the country. Bethanie is situated on the C14 road between Goageb and Walvis Bay, 100 km west of Keetmanshoop. It has a population of about 2,000.
Maltahöhe is a village in southern central Namibia close to the Swartrand escarpment, about 110 km west of Mariental in the Hardap Region. It has about 6,000 inhabitants and owns about 17,000 hectares of land. Maltahöhe has two suburbs, the Andreville location and the Blikkiesdorp informal settlement which has neither sewerage nor electricity supply.
Gibeon is a village in Gibeon Constituency in the Hardap Region of Namibia. The village had 4,120 inhabitants in 2023.
Aroab is a village with a population of approximately 5,000 in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It is situated about 170 kilometres (110 mi) south-east of Keetmanshoop on the edge of the Kalahari desert; the average annual rainfall is about 150–200 mm. Aroab is the district centre of the Keetmanshoop Rural electoral constituency.
Tses is a village in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia with a population of approximately 1000; probably 1000 more live in the surrounding semi-desert farming hinterland. It is situated one kilometre off the main B1 highway from Windhoek to Noordoewer, opposite the turning to Berseba and the Brukkaros Mountain. Tses in Khoekhoegowab means 'place of daylight'.
Stampriet is a village in Hardap Region, Namibia. It is located 64 km north-east of Mariental and 1,177 metres (3,862 ft) above sea level, in a barren area on the upper reaches of the Auob River where humans and animals alike depend on borehole water. Stampriet is the administrative center of the Mariental Rural electoral constituency.
Gibeon is a constituency in the Hardap Region of Namibia. The administrative centre of the constituency is the village of Gibeon. It had a population of 12,122 in 2011, up from 11,541 in 2001.
Aranos is a town in the Hardap Region of central Namibia, situated in the Nossob River basin in the Kalahari Desert. The town had 5,493 inhabitants in 2023.
Witvlei is a village in the Okarukambe Constituency in the Omaheke Region of central-eastern Namibia. It is situated on the B6 150 kilometres (93 mi) from Windhoek on the way to Gobabis. It is known for producing high quality meat.
Koës is a village in the ǁKaras Region of south-eastern Namibia. It is situated on the edge of the Kalahari desert and belongs to the Keetmanshoop Rural electoral constituency. The average annual rainfall is about 150-200 mm.
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.
Kalkrand is a village in the Hardap Region of southern central Namibia. It is situated between Rehoboth and Mariental on the national road B1. The village features a petrol station, schools, a police station and a public clinic. The inhabitants mainly live from small livestock and cattle farming.
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