Rundu | |
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Town | |
![]() Aerial view of Rundu | |
Nickname: Ru-town | |
Motto: Unity & Development | |
Coordinates: 17°55′S19°46′E / 17.917°S 19.767°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Region | Kavango-East Region |
Constituency | Rundu Urban constituency |
Government | |
• Type | Mayor-council government |
• Mayor | Verna Mpingana Sinimbo (SWAPO) |
Area | |
• Total | 156 km2 (60 sq mi) |
Elevation | 1,095 m (3,593 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 118,625 |
• Density | 760/km2 (2,000/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+2 (SAST) |
Area code | 066 |
Climate | BSh |
Website | http://www.runducity.iway.na/ |
Rundu is the capital and largest city of the Kavango-East Region in northern Namibia. It lies on the border with Angola on the banks of the Kavango River about 1,000 metres (3,300 feet) above sea level. Rundu's population is growing rapidly. The 2001 census counted 36,964 inhabitants; [3] and for the 2011 census it has climbed to 63,430.
In 1936, it became the seat of the local governor as it replaced Nkurenkuru as capital of the Kavango district.[ citation needed ] The town has since grown into a multilingual city of the Kavango region by then now is for Kavango East and only recently its official status was changed to that of a town. [4]
Since 1993, its St. Mary's Cathedral is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Rundu.
Rundu is governed by a town council that has seven seats. [5]
The 2015 local authority election was won by SWAPO which gained five seats (6,973 votes). One seat each went to the local Rundu Concerned Citizens Association (1,043 votes) and the All People's Party (APP, 973 votes). [6] SWAPO also won the 2020 local authority election, obtaining 3,548 votes and gaining four seats. One seat each went to the Rundu Concerned Citizens Association (863 votes), the Rundu Urban Community Commission (386 votes), and the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), an opposition party formed in August 2020, that gained 321 votes. [7]
Many of Rundu's residents live in shacks. In 2020 the town had a total of 18,219 of these informal housing structures, accommodating more than 76,000 inhabitants, [8] more than the most recent (2011) census reported as total population figure.
The oldest houses in Rundu are located in the Katutura area. These houses are mainly two bedroom homes with large backyards even though they are situated next to the central business district.[ citation needed ]
On the west is Tutungeni, which means "let's build". This area was previously occupied by executives of the white-dominated businessplace, but now it is open for any willing buyer in need of a quiet neighbourhood. On the East is Safari. There are the middle-priced houses built in the 1970s.[ citation needed ]
These three main localities dominated Rundu residential life until the turn of the millennium in 2000, when new housing projects by O'B Davids Properties built a new residential area called Millennium Park. After which two others have been built by the NHE, Queens and Kings Parks respectively. Recently a new formal location was added called Rainbow[ citation needed ]
Outside the formal suburbs, shanty towns symbolise the rapid urbanisation of the town and high unemployment rates. Kehemu (Ghetto), Kaisosi (also known by the locals as Cali), Sauyemwa (SA), and Ndama are the most informal areas while a fourth, Donkerhoek (Dark Corner), is rapidly becoming formal since the start of the Build Together Campaign in 1992.[ citation needed ]
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Rundu has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh), with hot summers and relatively mild winters (with warm days and chilly to cool nights). Even though it has a hot semi-arid climate, the area experiences high diurnal temperature variation during the winter with average high temperatures at roughly 26 °C (79 °F) and average low temperatures at 6 °C (43 °F). This large swing in daily temperature is more commonplace among areas with cold semi-arid climates. During the summer, the diurnal temperature variation is less pronounced. The average annual precipitation is 568 mm (22 in), [9] although in the 2010/2011 rainy season 757 millimetres (29.8 in) were measured. [10]
Rundu Open Market is the most well-known and biggest open market in the town. It was founded in 1996 through cooperation between the government of Namibia and the government of Luxembourg. [11] [12] [13]
Rundu Airport, mostly used for tourism and cargo, is 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) southwest of the town. [14]
The Rundu State Hospital is situated in the center of the town, off Markus Siwarongo street. It's the largest hospital in Kavango East.
There is a military base of the Namibian Defence Force in Rundu. Built in 1972 and expanded in 1976, while South West Africa was under South African occupation, it houses 1,600 soldiers. [15] The base was named Voito Jason Kondjeleni Military Base, after People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) fighter Voito Jason Kondjeleni who died in 1983. [16]
Rundu is home to many woodcarvers [17] and features a woodcarver's market near the open market. Several local restaurants serve traditional food, including mahangu, ground nuts, stewed meats, and fish from the Okavango River.
There are five tertiary Institutions in Rundu, namely the University of Namibia, the Institute of Open Learning (IOL), the Rundu Vocational Training Centre, the Namibia College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) and Triumphant College. The Namibia University of Sciences and Technology has a centre that provides support for students who are studying on distance. There are six secondary schools in the town: Rundu Secondary School, Dr. Alpo Mbamba Secondary School, Dr. Romanus Kampungu Secondary School, Elias Neromba Senior Secondary School, Noordgrens, and Kamunoko Secondary School.
Rundu is twinned:
Kavango was one of the thirteen regions of Namibia until it was split into the Kavango East and Kavango West Regions in 2013. Its capital was Rundu.
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.
Grootfontein is a city with 26,839 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.
Katima Mulilo or simply Katima is the capital of the Zambezi Region in Namibia. It had 46,401 inhabitants in 2023, and comprises two electoral constituencies, Katima Mulilo Rural and Katima Mulilo Urban. It is located on the B8 national road on the banks of the Zambezi River in the Caprivi Strip in lush riverine vegetation with tropical birds and monkeys. The town receives annual average rainfall of 654 millimetres (25.7 in).
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.
Ondangwa is a town in the Oshana Region of northern Namibia, bordering the 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.
Otjiwarongo is a city of 49,000 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia. It is the district capital of the Otjiwarongo electoral constituency and also the capital of Otjozondjupa.
Oshakati is a town in northern Namibia. It is the regional capital of the Oshana Region and one of Namibia's largest cities both by population and as an economic center.
Ruacana is a town in the Omusati Region of northern Namibia and the district capital of the Ruacana electoral constituency. It is located on the border with Angola on the river Kunene. The town is known for the picturesque Ruacana Falls nearby, and for the Ruacana Power Station.
Outjo is a town of 15,000 inhabitants in the Kunene Region of Namibia. It is the district capital of Outjo Constituency. It is best known as the main gateway to Etosha National Park.
Khorixas is a town with about 9,000 inhabitants in the southern part of the Kunene Region, Namibia. It was the capital of the Damaraland bantustan before Namibia's independence. It is the administrative capital of Khorixas Constituency. Most of the inhabitants are from the Damara ethnic group. The town is located near the Petrified Forest, Khorixas - a deposit of petrified wood and well known tourist attraction of Namibia. The Twyfelfontein valley, known for its rock art, is also accessible from Khorixas.
Outapi wa Nakafingo na Temba, also Outapi or Uutapi and Ombalantu, is a town in northern Namibia near the border with Angola, situated 90 km (56 mi) northwest of Oshakati. It is the capital of the Omusati region and the district capital of the Outapi electoral constituency. The language spoken there is Oshiwambo.
Nkurenkuru is a town on the south-western banks of the Kavango River. It is the capital of the Kavango West Region of northern Namibia, located 140 kilometres (87 mi) west of Rundu. It is also a former mission station of the Finnish Missionary Society.
Oshikuku is a town in Omusati Region in the north of Namibia. It is the district capital of Oshikuku Constituency.
Mukwe is a constituency in the Kavango East region of Namibia. The district centre is the settlement of Mukwe. It had a population of 27,690 in 2011, up from 27,250 in 2001. The constituency contains the major settlements of Bagani, Kangongo and Divundu, and a number of small populated places such as Andara and Diyogha. As of 2020 the constituency had 16,678 registered voters.
Aranos is a town in the Hardap Region of central Namibia, situated in the Nossob River basin in the Kalahari Desert.
Rundu Urban is an electoral constituency in the Kavango East region of Namibia. It covers the urban area of Rundu, the region's capital and one of Namibia's largest cities. The constituency also covers parts of the Sauyemwa, Safari, Tutungeni, Katutura, Donkerhoek and Kehemu neighborhoods. It had a population of 20,953 in 2011, up from 19,173 in 2001. As of 2020 the constituency had 35,740 registered voters.
Kavango East is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia. Its capital is Rundu, its governor is Bonifatius Wakudumo. The region was created in 2013 when the Kavango Region was split into Kavango East and Kavango West. The only self-governing settlements in Kavango East are the capital Rundu and the village of Divundu.
Rundu Rural is an electoral constituency in the Kavango East Region of Namibia. It comprises the area east of Rundu, one of Namibia's largest cities. It had a population of 22,538 in 2011, up from 18,250 in 2001. As of 2020 the constituency had 6,060 registered voters.
Ncuncuni is a constituency in the Kavango West region of Namibia. It is located west of Rundu, one of Namibia's largest cities. It had a population of 38,281 in 2011, up from 26,623 in 2001. As of 2020 the constituency had 4,554 registered voters.