Keetmanshoop is a city
in the
ǁKaras Region
The ǁKaras Region (pronounced , with a lateral click) is the southernmost and least densely populated of the 14 regions of Namibia; its capital is Keetmanshoop. The name assigned to the region reflects the prominence of the Karas mountain rang ...
of southern
Namibia
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 ea ...
, lying on the
Trans-Namib Railway from
Windhoek
Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 20 ...
to
Upington
Upington ( Nama: //Khara hais) is a town founded in 1873 and located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, on the banks of the Orange River. The town was originally called Olijvenhoutsdrift ('Olive wood drift'), due to the abundance of ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. It is named after Johann Keetman, a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
industrialist and benefactor of the city.
History
![Stamp keetmanskoop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Stamp_keetmanskoop.jpg)
Before the colonial era, the settlement was known as ''ǂNuǂgoaes'' or ''Swartmodder'', both of which mean "Black Marsh" and indicated the presence of a spring in the area. The first white settler,
Guilliam Visagie
Guilliam Visagie (born about 1751; still alive in 1793) was a trekboer who settled in southern Namibia about 1786. He is considered to have been the first person of European ancestry to have settled in the country.
Visagie was born about 1751 in t ...
, arrived here in 1785. When in February 1850 the Kharoǃoan clan (
Keetmanshoop Nama) split from the
Red Nation
"Red Nation" is a song by American rapper and West Coast hip hop artist Game featuring vocals from rapper Lil Wayne, from his anticipated fourth studio album '' The R.E.D. Album''. Released as the album's lead single on April 12, 2011, the song wa ...
, the main subtribe of the
Nama people
Nama (in older sources also called Namaqua) are an African ethnic group of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. They traditionally speak the Nama language of the Khoe-Kwadi language family, although many Nama also speak Afrikaans. The Nama Peo ...
, they settled permanently here.
In 1860 the
Rhenish Missionary Society
The Rhenish Missionary Society (''Rhenish'' of the river Rhine) was one of the largest Protestant missionary societies in Germany. Formed from smaller missions founded as far back as 1799, the Society was amalgamated on 23 September 1828, and it ...
founded a mission there to
christianise
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
the local
Nama. The first missionary, Johann Georg Schröder, arrived in Keetmanshoop on April 14, 1866, which is now marked as the founding date of Keetmanshoop. The mission station was named after the German trader and director of the Rhenish Missionary Society, , who supported the mission financially.
He never actually visited the place himself.
Notable buildings and structures
![Dunst Namibia Oct 2002 slide030 - Ketmanshoop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Dunst_Namibia_Oct_2002_slide030_-_Ketmanshoop.jpg)
The Rhenish Missionary Church was erected in 1895, it now also contains a museum. It was declared a historic monument in 1978 and is a well-known landmark. Its unique combination of
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
architecture cast in African stone makes it one of the architectural masterpieces in the country and a popular tourist attraction. Other notable buildings are the Schützenhaus (''marksmen's club house'', 1905–07), the
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
building (1908) and the Imperial Post Office (now the Keetmanshoop tourist information, erected in 1910).
The town is situated near two
quiver tree
''Aloidendron dichotomum'', formerly ''Aloe dichotoma'', the quiver tree or kokerboom, is a tall, branching species of succulent plant, indigenous to Southern Africa, specifically in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, and parts of South ...
forests,
one of them being a
national monument
A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure.
The term may also refer to a spec ...
and a major tourist attraction of Namibia. Also close to Keetmanshoop is the
Naute Dam
The Naute Dam is a dam outside of Keetmanshoop in the ǁKaras Region of Namibia. It was built by Concor between 1970 and 1972 and was officially commissioned in September 1972. It is the third largest dam in Namibia after Hardap Dam to Naute's ...
.
J. Stephanus Stadium is located in Keetmanshoop and is home to
Fedics United F.C., a football team in the
Namibia Premier League
The Namibia Premier League (NPL), also known as Debmarine Namibia Premiership is the highest level of domestic association football in Namibia. The league was established in 1990 and was trimmed to 12 teams from the traditional 16 in 2005. It was ...
.
Keetmanshoop is also an important center of the
Karakul sheep farming community.
Politics
Keetmanshoop is governed by a municipality council that has seven seats.
In the
2010 local authority election, a total of 3,156 votes were cast in the city.
SWAPO
The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...
won with approximately 48% of the vote. Of the three other parties seeking votes in the election,
Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) received approximately 35% of the vote, followed by the
Democratic Party of Namibia
The Democratic Party of Namibia is a political party in Namibia, launched in July 2008 at Keetmanshoop.
Although it constitutes an initiative of the Nama people, the party plans to focus on all ethnic minorities in Namibia. It positions itself i ...
(DPN, 10%) and the
Democratic Turnhalle Alliance
The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), formerly the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), is an amalgamation of political parties in Namibia, registered as one singular party for representation purposes. In coalition with the United Democratic ...
(DTA, 7%).
The
2015 local authority election was won by SWAPO by a much larger margin. SWAPO accumulated 2,337 votes and won five seats in the municipal council. DTA (538 votes) and RDP (186 votes) gained one seat each.
The
2020 Namibian local authority election was won by LPM. LPM accumulated 3,619 votes and won five seats in the municipal council. SWAPO (1648 votes) gained two seats.
Geography
Climate
Keetmanshoop has a hot desert climate (
Köppen climate classification ''BWh''), with long, very hot summers and warm winters. The annual average rainfall is only . Keetmanshoop is one of the sunniest places year-round on the planet with a mean
sunshine duration over 3,870 hours yearly or 10.7 sunny hours daily or well above 87% of the time.
The annual mean temperature is 21.1 °C (70.0 °F) with a mean annual high of 28.8 °C (83.8 °F) and a low of 13.3 °C (55.9 °F). The climate is characterized by sunshine and dryness as well as moderate heat all year long.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Namibia
Populated places in the ǁKaras Region
Populated places founded by Afrikaners
Regional capitals in Namibia
1866 establishments in South West Africa
Populated places established in 1866