Oshikango

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Oshikango
village
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Oshikango
Location in Namibia
Coordinates: 17°24′S15°53′E / 17.400°S 15.883°E / -17.400; 15.883
CountryFlag of Namibia.svg  Namibia
Region Ohangwena Region
Region Oshikango Constituency
Elevation 3,606 ft (1,099 m)
Time zone South African Standard Time (UTC+1)

Oshikango is a former village in northern Namibia and since 2004 part of the town of Helao Nafidi, [1] although it still maintained its own village council for a number of years. Oshikango is still the name of the border post with Angola and the electoral constituency for this suburb. It is estimated to have grown from "a tiny cluster of shebeens around an open market into a thriving boomtown with around 5,000 to 8,000 inhabitants over a period of 10 years". [2]

Namibia republic in southern Africa

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.

Helao Nafidi town in Ohangwena Region, Namibia

Helao Nafidi is a town in Ohangwena Region in northern Namibia at the border to Angola. It has been established in 2004 as an amalgamation of several villages and settlements along the main road between Oshikango and Ohangwena which are both also part of the town. Helao Nafidi has 19,375 inhabitants. The town is separated into three urban areas, Oshikango in the north, bisected by the Namibian–Angolan border, and Omafo and Ohangwena south of it, with settlements and villages in the agricultural area between them.

Angola country in Africa

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a west-coast country of south-central Africa. It is the seventh-largest country in Africa, bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Angola has an exclave province, the province of Cabinda that borders the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The capital and largest city of Angola is Luanda.

Contents

History

The Oshikango area was heavily affected by the 1966 to 1989 South African Border War between South Africa and its allied forces (mainly UNITA) and the Angolan government and the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). The war ended with South Africa agreeing to Namibian independence. In 1996 Oshikango, along with many other settlements in the area, was proclaimed a village with the aim of increasing border trade. [3]

South African Border War The war on the border of South West Africa/Namibia and Angola.

The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia, Zambia, and Angola from 26 August 1966 to 21 March 1990. It was fought between the South African Defence Force (SADF) and the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN), an armed wing of the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO). The South African Border War resulted in some of the largest battles on the African continent since World War II and was closely intertwined with the Angolan Civil War.

UNITA Angolan political party

The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) in the Angolan War for Independence (1961–1975) and then against the MPLA in the ensuing civil war (1975–2002). The war was one of the most prominent Cold War proxy wars, with UNITA receiving military aid from the United States and South Africa while the MPLA received support from the Soviet Union and its allies.

Economy

The border post between Namibia and Angola has brought business opportunities to Oshikango and the surrounding area. With the help of the European Union an Export Processing Zone consisting of 14 warehouses was established there. The nearby village of Omafo, now a suburb of Helao Nafidi, hosts an annual trade show. [3]

European Union Economic and political union of European states

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. It has an area of 4,475,757 km2 (1,728,099 sq mi) and an estimated population of about 513 million. The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where members have agreed to act as one. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market, enact legislation in justice and home affairs and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. For travel within the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished. A monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002 and is composed of 19 EU member states which use the euro currency.

The parallel prevalence of land owned by the village of Oshikango, the town of Helao Nafidi, and land under traditional jurisdiction has led to uncertainties about ownership that had to be settled in court. [4]

A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom.

There are some manufacturing companies in Oshikango, for example Fatima Plastic which donated Engela hospital the cost of building a bridge after a flood. Chicco, a building material wholesaler, has also set up shop in Oshikango, and there are also large retailers like Pick n Pay and Fysal Fresh Produce. Most villagers however, still mainly survive by agriculture and face the risk of periodic drought.[ citation needed ]

Engela Suburb of Helao Nafidi in Ohangwena Region, Namibia

Engela is an Ovambo settlement in the Ohangwena Region in northern Namibia. Formerly situated in the Oukwanyama area it is since 2004 part of the town Helao Nafidi, although it still maintained its own village council until the 2015 local authority election. It is one of the more important establishments of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN) in the area. It started as a mission station of the Finnish Missionary Society. Today, it is the centre of the Engela Constituency.

Pick n Pay Stores

Pick n Pay is the second largest supermarket chain store in South Africa, established in 1967. It can also be found in other regions of southern Africa, such as Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, and had plans to open in Malawi but has yet to do so. The founder of the chain was Jack Goldin, a native of Obeliai, Lithuania who moved to South Africa when the Nazis invaded his town. Raymond Ackerman purchased three Pick n Pay supermarkets in Cape Town from Goldin, and served as executive chairman until his retirement in 2010. His eldest son, Gareth, is the current chairman.

Drought extended period when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply

A drought or drouth is a natural disaster of below-average precipitation in a given region, resulting in prolonged shortages in the water supply, whether atmospheric, surface water or ground water. A drought can last for months or years, or may be declared after as few as 15 days. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region and harm to the local economy. Annual dry seasons in the tropics significantly increase the chances of a drought developing and subsequent bush fires. Periods of heat can significantly worsen drought conditions by hastening evaporation of water vapour.

Transport

Street in Oshikango 23022011068.jpg
Street in Oshikango

In mid-2005, the second stage of the new Northern Railway between Oshikango and Oshivelo began construction. By mid-2006, it had reached Ondangwa. A train service known as the Omugulugwombashe Star traveled weekly on this track until the locomotives broke down after a few rounds of service. [5] In 2008, a short extension across the border was proposed to bypass the congested border post. [6] The next station to the south is Ohangwena.

Oshivelo Place in Oshikoto Region, Namibia

Oshivelo is a settlement in northern Namibia.

Ondangwa Town in Oshana Region, Namibia

Ondangwa is a town of 23,000 inhabitants in the Oshana Region of northern Namibia, bordering Oshikoto Region. Ondangwa was first established as a mission station of the Finnish Missionary Society in 1890. In 1914 it became a local seat of government.

Life

Oshikango is considered the business hub of the North in Namibia. Many foreign as well as local investors have chosen Oshikango as their stepping-stone for exports into Angola. A governing body dubbed the Oshikango Business Association, in conjunction with Local Government as well as the NCCI (Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry) regulate all business related matters in the area.

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References

  1. ↑ Shivute, Oswald (26 September 2006). "Transition to modern town life tough for villagers". The Namibian.
  2. ↑ Niikondo, Andrew (August 2010). "Potential of friction in border town developments: A case study of Oshikango in the Helao Nafidi Town Council, Northern Namibia" (PDF). Journal of US-China Public Administration. 7 (8). ISSN   1548-6591.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. 1 2 "Helao Nafidi Handelskou" [Helao Nafidi Trade Show] (in Afrikaans). Die Republikein. 9 November 2007. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011.
  4. ↑ Terblanché, Niël (1 September 2008). "Oshikango se dorpsraad dalk voor hof oor grond" [Oshikango's village council taken to court over land] (in Afrikaans). Die Republikein.
  5. ↑ "Chinese rails for Oshikango railway". The Namibian . 13 November 2009. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011.
  6. ↑ "Govt extends rail link into Angola". The Namibian . 6 October 2008.

Coordinates: 17°24′S15°53′E / 17.400°S 15.883°E / -17.400; 15.883

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