Okamatapati | |
---|---|
Settlement | |
Coordinates: 20°24′S18°13′E / 20.400°S 18.217°E Coordinates: 20°24′S18°13′E / 20.400°S 18.217°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Region | Otjozondjupa Region |
Constituency | Okakarara Constituency |
Population (2016) | |
• Total | 1,900 |
Time zone | South African Standard Time (UTC+1) |
Okamatapati is a settlement in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia, situated 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Grootfontein and 127 kilometres (79 mi) north of Otjinene. [1] The name Okamatapati is derived from Omutapati, the Otjiherero name for the Mouse-eared combretum, a shrub that is common in the area. [2]
Otjozondjupa region is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, whose capital is Otjiwarongo. An outstanding landmark within this region is the Waterberg Plateau Park. Administration offices are based in Otjiwarongo which is the largest town in the region.
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean; it shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. Although it does not border Zimbabwe, less than 200 metres of the Zambezi River separates the two countries. Namibia gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek, and it is a member state of the United Nations (UN), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), and the Commonwealth of Nations.
Grootfontein is a city of 23,793 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region of central Namibia. It is one of the three towns in the Otavi Triangle, situated on the B8 national road that leads from Otavi to the Caprivi Strip. Grootfontein receives an annual average rainfall of 557 millimetres (21.9 in), although in the 2010/2011 rainy season 956 millimetres (37.6 in) were measured.
Herero people were resettled to this area, then known as Hereroland, in the 1960s. The Odendaal Plan declared several bantustans, one for each tribe, and forced Blacks to vacate all other areas of then-South-West Africa. Okamatapati was situated at the western edge of the Herero area. An affluent community developed who soon elected their own tribal chiefs. [3]
The Herero, also known as Ovaherero, are an ethnic group inhabiting parts of Southern Africa. The majority reside in Namibia, with the remainder found in Botswana and Angola. There were an estimated 250,000 Herero people in Namibia in 2013. They speak Otjiherero, a Bantu language.
Hereroland was a bantustan in South West Africa, intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the Herero people. It was set up in 1968 and self-government was granted two years later.
A Bantustan was a territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South West Africa, as part of the policy of apartheid. Ten Bantustans were established in South Africa, and ten in neighbouring South West Africa, for the purpose of concentrating the members of designated ethnic groups, thus making each of those territories ethnically homogeneous as the basis for creating "autonomous" nation states for South Africa's different black ethnic groups.
The Okamatapati Farmers Association was founded in 1983. It ran the first Okamatapati Show, an agricultural show for cattle farmers, in 1986. The show has been run for the 28th time in 2016 but is no longer conducted in Okamatapati. In 2012 it moved to Windhoek and became part of the Windhoek Show. Except a one-time stint at the Grootfontein Show in 2014 it is now held annually in Windhoek. [4]
The Windhoek Industrial and Agricultural Show is an annual trade fair in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It combines an agricultural exhibition, several industrial and retail offerings, and a range of entertainment facilities. The Windhoek Show was first held in 1899 and is since 1966 conducted annually. Held during the first week of October, the Windhoek Show is the biggest industrial and agricultural exhibition in Namibia. It attracts close to 100,000 visitors per year.
Today the area around Okamatapati is a conservancy of 3,096 square kilometres (1,195 sq mi) that has been established in 2005. In 2016 [update] it had a population of 1,899 people. The conservancy consists of flat, sandy thornveld savannah and has an average annual rainfall of 350–400 millimetres (14–16 in). The main economic activity is cattle farming, particularly weaner production, which is supported by the occurrence of Terminalia sericea , a deciduous tree that the animals feed on during the dry season. Devil's claw is also harvested here. [2]
A calf is the young of domestic cattle. Calves are reared to become adult cattle, or are slaughtered for their meat, called veal, and for their calfskin.
Terminalia sericea is a species of deciduous tree of the genus Terminalia that is native to southern Africa. Its common names include clusterleaf, silver cluster-leaf or silver terminalia in English, vaalboom in Afrikaans and mususu in Venda.
In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous (/dɪˈsɪdʒuəs/) means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, after flowering; and to the shedding of ripe fruit.
The road from Otjinene to Grootfontein, an extension of the Trans-Kalahari Highway which passes Okamatapati, is currently [update] being tarred. The work is expected to be completed in 2017. [1]
Omaheke is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Gobabis. It lies on the eastern border of Namibia and is the Western extension of the Kalahari desert. The name Omaheke is the Herero word for Sandveld.
Gobabis is a city 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.
Omaruru is a city and constituency in the Erongo Region of Namibia. The town has 14,000 inhabitants and owns 352 square kilometres (136 sq mi) of land. The town is situated near Mount Erongo, on the usually dry Omaruru River. It is located on the main paved road from Swakopmund to Otjiwarongo. The name in the local Otjiherero language means 'bitter milk', as the cattle used to browse on a local bush that turned their milk bitter.
Karibib is a town in the Erongo Region of western Namibia. It has 3,800 inhabitants and owns 97 square kilometres (37 sq mi) of town land. Karibib is the district capital of the Karibib electoral constituency. It is situated on the Khan River, halfway between Windhoek and Swakopmund on the B2, the main road between the Walvis Bay and Johannesburg. The town is known for its aragonite marble quarries and the Navachab Gold Mine.
Okahandja is a city of 24,100 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.
Otjiwarongo is a city of 28,000 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia. It is the district capital of the Otjiwarongo electoral constituency and also the capital of Otjozondjupa.
Mariental is a city 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 in a hot, arid region.
The Heroes' Acre is an official war memorial of the Republic of Namibia. Built into the uninhabited hills c. 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of the city centre of Windhoek, Heroes' Acre opened on 26 August 2002 and operates for the purpose of "foster(ing) a spirit of patriotism and nationalism, and to pass on the legacy to the future generations of Namibia".
Okakarara is a town in Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia, located 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of Waterberg National Park. It has an estimated population of 7,000 and is currently growing by 1,500 inhabitants annually.
Seeis is a small settlement in the Khomas Region of central Namibia. It is situated on the B6 national road 11 km (6.8 mi) east of Hosea Kutako International Airport on the turnoff of the dirt road D1458. The Seeis Rivier, an ephemeral river, cuts the settlement. Seeis is a railway stop on the Windhoek - Gobabis railway line.
Hoachanas is a settlement of 3,000 inhabitants in the Hardap Region of southern central Namibia, located 55 kilometres (34 mi) northeast of Kalkrand. It is situated at the junction of the main road C21 from Kalkrand, and C15 from Dordabis to Stampriet and belongs to the Mariental Rural electoral constituency.
Otjinene is a village in the Omaheke Region of Namibia. It is the district capital of Otjinene Constituency. Otjinene is connected via a 157 kilometres (98 mi) tarred road to the regional capital Gobabis, and via a 227 kilometres (141 mi) road to be tarred in 2017 to Grootfontein.
Witvlei is a village in 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.
Herero Mall is an informal business area in the Katutura suburb of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It is situated in Clemens Kapuuo Street and was established in 2003. The area was initially used by the Paramount chief of the Herero as a meeting venue. Over the years small businesses started trading there, ranging from shebeens to car wash businesses. The City of Windhoek wants to revamp this place and turn it into shopping complex, but the local people are opposing this move.
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. The centre of the populated area is the Catholic mission station. Epukiro had about 3,200 inhabitants in 1997, predominantly ethnic Tswana.
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.
Upingtonia, or the Republic of Upingtonia, was a short-lived Boer republic in the area of present-day Namibia. Declared on 20 October 1885, in 1886 it changed its name to Lijdensrust. In 1887 it was merged into German South-West Africa.