Kunene is one of the fourteen
regions of Namibia
Namibia uses regions as its first-level subnational administrative divisions. Since 2013, it has 14 regions which in turn are subdivided into 121 constituencies.
Upon Namibian independence, the pre-existing subdivisions from the South African ...
. Its capital is
Opuwo
Opuwo is the capital of the Kunene Region in north-western Namibia. The town is situated about 720 km north-northwest from the capital Windhoek, and has a population of 20,000. It is the commercial hub of the Kunene Region.
Economy and inf ...
, its governor is
Marius Sheya. The region's name comes from the
Kunene River which forms the northern border with
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
. Besides the capital Opuwo, the region contains the municipality of
Outjo
Outjo (Otjiherero: ''small hills'') is a city of 6,000 inhabitants in the Kunene Region of Namibia. It is the district capital of Outjo Constituency. It is best known as a main gateway to Etosha National Park.
Overview
The town was founded by ...
, the town
Khorixas
Khorixas is a town of 6,000 inhabitants in southern 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 fro ...
and the self-governed village
Kamanjab. Kunene is home to the
Himba people
The Himba (singular: OmuHimba, plural: OvaHimba) are an indigenous people with an estimated population of about 50,000 people living in northern Namibia, in the Kunene Region (formerly Kaokoland) and on the other side of the Kunene River in sout ...
, a subtribe of the
Herero. , Kunene had 58,548 registered voters.
Kunene's western edge is the shores of the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
. In the north, it borders Angola's
Namibe Province, and in the far eastern part of its northern edge it borders
Cunene Province. Domestically, it borders the following regions:
*
Omusati
Omusati ( ng, Mopane, after the dominant tree in the area) is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Outapi. The towns of Okahao, Oshikuku and Ruacana as well as the self-governed village Tsandi are situated in this region. , Omus ...
- northeast, west of Oshana
*
Oshana
Oshana is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Oshakati. The towns of Oshakati, Ongwediva and Ondangwa, all situated with this region, form an urban cluster with the second largest population concentration in Namibia after the ...
- northeast, between Omusati and Oshikoto
*
Oshikoto
Oshikoto is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, named after Lake Otjikoto. Its capital is Omuthiya. The city of Tsumeb, Otjikoto's capital until 2008, and the towns of Omuthiya and Oniipa are also situated in this region. , Oshikoto had 112, ...
- northeast, east of Oshikoto
*
Otjozondjupa
Otjozondjupa is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia. Its capital is Otjiwarongo. The region further contains the municipalities of Okahandja and Grootfontein and the towns Okakarara and Otavi. , Otjozondjupa had 97,945 registered voters.
Geog ...
- east
*
Erongo
Erongo is one of the 14 regions of Namibia. The capital is Swakopmund. It is named after Mount Erongo, a well-known landmark in Namibia and in this area. Erongo contains the municipalities of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Henties Bay and Omaruru, as w ...
- south
Politics
The region comprises seven
constituencies
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
:
*
Epupa
*
Kamanjab
*
Khorixas
Khorixas is a town of 6,000 inhabitants in southern 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 fro ...
*
Opuwo Rural
*
Opuwo Urban
*
Outjo
Outjo (Otjiherero: ''small hills'') is a city of 6,000 inhabitants in the Kunene Region of Namibia. It is the district capital of Outjo Constituency. It is best known as a main gateway to Etosha National Park.
Overview
The town was founded by ...
*
Sesfontein
Sesfontein is a settlement in the Kunene Region of Namibia, situated from the regional capital Opuwo. It is the district capital of Sesfontein Constituency, its population is 7,358. Sesfontein derives its name from the six fountains which have t ...
Kunene is one of few regions that Namibia's ruling
SWAPO party
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 ...
does not dominate. Previously the rivalry was mainly with the
United Democratic Front (UDF), but recently other parties show good results in Kunene's constituencies. In November 2008, SWAPO activists and politicians called for organization to "destroy" the UDF government in Kunene. SWAPO also claimed that UDF and
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) were "sabotaging" local government initiatives in the region due to incompetence.
Central to the politics of Kunene Region is the battle over the proposed
Epupa Dam in
Epupa Constituency
Epupa ( hz, Falling Waters) is a constituency in the Kunene Region of Namibia. Its population in 2004 was 12,816. , it has 12,182 registered voters.
The villages of Epupa, Otjomuru, Ohamaremba and Okangwati belong to the Epupa constituency. E ...
near the border with
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
. Business leaders based in Opuwo, who are mostly
Ovambo people
The Ovambo people (), also called Aawambo, Ambo, Aawambo (Ndonga, Nghandjera, Kwambi, Kwaluudhi, Kolonghadhi, Mbalantu), or Ovawambo (Kwanyama) the biggest of the Aawambo sub-tribes are a Bantu peoples, Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Afric ...
, formed the
Kaoko Development League which supports the proposed dam. The dam would bring in economic development to much of the Region but would interfere with the traditional way of life of the
Himba people
The Himba (singular: OmuHimba, plural: OvaHimba) are an indigenous people with an estimated population of about 50,000 people living in northern Namibia, in the Kunene Region (formerly Kaokoland) and on the other side of the Kunene River in sout ...
who reside in the area. A longtime rivalry exists between SWAPO and the Himba people.
National elections
In the
2004 election for the
National Assembly of Namibia
The National Assembly is the lower chamber of Namibia's bicameral Parliament. Its laws must be approved by the National Council, the upper house. Since 2014, it has a total of 104 members. 96 members are directly elected through a system of clos ...
, voters in Kunene Region supported numerous parties. The UDF earned the party's single highest vote total and 22.19% of the party's national vote total in the region.
Regional elections
The only members of the
3rd National Council of Namibia, which was created by appointments from every regional council, who were not members of SWAPO were chosen by the Kunene Regional Council. These Councillors were
Sebastian Ignatius ǃGobs of the UDF and
Ngohauvi Lydia Kavetu of the DTA.
In the
2015 regional elections SWAPO obtained 46% of the total votes (
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
: 42%)
[ and won in five of the seven constituencies while the DTA won two. The two Kunene constituencies Epupa and Opuwo Rural were the only ones the DTA won throughout Namibia. In the 2020 regional election SWAPO obtained 34% of the total votes and won only ]Outjo Constituency
Outjo is an electoral constituency in the Kunene Region of Namibia. Its district capital is the town of Outjo, its population was 8,947 in 2004. , it has 9,197 registered voters.
Politics
The Namibian local and regional elections, 2015, 2015 regi ...
. The Popular Democratic Movement
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 ...
(PDM, the new name of the DTA) and the UDF won three constituencies each.[
]
Governors
Themistokles Dudu Murorua, a UDF member, was appointed governor of Kunene Region in 2005. He was later replaced by Joshua ǁHoebeb
Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...
. Following the 2014 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2014.
* 2014 United Nations Security Council election 16 October 2014
Africa
* 2014 Algerian presidential election 17 April 2014
* 2014 Botswana general election 24 October 2014
* 2014 Comorian presi ...
and SWAPO's win in Kunene, Angelika Muharukua
Angelika Kazetjindire Muharukua (12 January 1958 Opuwo, Kunene Region – 1 October 2017) was a Namibian politician. An ethnic Herero from northwestern Namibia, Muharukua joined the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) in 1979. She was ...
was appointed governor, and after her death in 2017, Marius Sheya was appointed.
Health
Cholera is a major concern in Kunene Region, particularly near the border with Angola. In December 2008, while the Zimbabwean cholera outbreak caused the deaths of hundreds of Zimbabweans, a similar but separate outbreak occurred in the northern Kunene Region constituency of Epupa. As 19 December, 3 people had died and 29 had become sick. In May 2008, approximately 15 people died of cholera as well.
Human Rights
February 2012, traditional
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
Himba chiefs[
] issued two separate Declarations[
] to the African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...
and to the OHCHR
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nat ...
of the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
.
The first, titled "Declaration of the most affected Ovahimba
The Himba (singular: OmuHimba, plural: OvaHimba) are an indigenous people with an estimated population of about 50,000 people living in northern Namibia, in the Kunene Region (formerly Kaokoland) and on the other side of the Kunene River in southe ...
, Ovatwa, Ovatjimba and Ovazemba against the Orokawe Dam in the Baynes Mountains"[
] outlines the objections from regional Himba chiefs and communities that reside near the Kunene River.
The second, titled "Declaration by the traditional Himba leaders of Kaokoland in 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 ...
" lists violations of civil, cultural, economic, environmental, social and political rights perpetrated by the Government of 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 ...
(GoN).
September 2012, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
visited the Himba, and heard their concerns that they do not have recognized traditional authorities, and that they are placed under the jurisdictions of chiefs of neighboring dominant tribes, who make decisions on behalf of the minority communities. In his view, the lack of recognition of traditional chiefs is, in accordance with Namibian law, relates to a lack of recognition of the minority indigenous tribes' communal lands.
November 23, 2012, hundreds of Himba and Zemba from Omuhonga and Epupa region protested in Okanguati against Namibia’s plans to construct a dam in the Kunene River in the Baynes Mountains
The Baynes Mountains are a mountain range in Namibia.
Description
The Baynes Mountains form an escarpment plateau in Kunene Region in northwest Namibia, near the border with Angola (formed here by the Kunene River). The mountains range in altitud ...
, against increasing mining operations on their traditional land and human rights violations against them.
March 25, 2013, over thousand Himba and Zemba people marched in protest again, this time in Opuwo, against the ongoing human rights violations that they endure in Namibia. They expressed their frustration over their traditional chiefs not being recognized as "Traditional Authorities" by the Government of Namibia, Namibia's plans to build the Orokawe dam in the Baynes Mountains at the Cunene River
The Cunene (Portuguese spelling) or Kunene (common Namibian spelling) is a river in Southern Africa. It flows from the Angola highlands south to the border with Namibia. It then flows west along the border until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. It ...
without consulting with the Himba that do not consent to the construction plans, culturally inappropriate education, the illegal fencing of parts of their traditional land, the lack of land rights to the territory that they have lived upon for centuries, and against the implementation of the Communal Land Reform Act of 2002.
Economy and infrastructure
Compared to the rest of Namibia, Kunene is relatively underdeveloped. This is due to the mountainous inaccessible geography and the dryness that significantly hinders agriculture.
In 2012, Chinese company Namibia East China Non- Ferrous Investments explored the Kunene region discovering enough a deposit of 2.37 billion tons of iron ore, enough for the next 100 years. A cobalt deposit is being developed by Gecko Opuwo Cobal.
Kunene has 60 schools with a total of 20,332 pupils.
Demographics
According to the Namibia 2001 Population and Housing Census, Kunene had a population of 68,735 (34,237 females and 34,487 males or 101 males for every 100 females) growing at an annual rate of 1.9%. The fertility rate
The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if:
# she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) through her lifetime
# she were t ...
was 4.7 children per woman. 25% lived in urban areas while 75% lived in rural areas, and with an area of 115,293 km2, the population density was 0.6 persons per km2. By age, 15% of the population was under 5 years old, 26% between 5–14 years, 48% between 15–59 years, and 7% 60 years and older. The population was divided into 12,489 households, with an average size of 5.3 persons. 40% of households had a female head of house, while 60% had a male. For those 15 years and older, 52% had never married, 12% married with certificate, 17% married traditionally, 12% married consensually, 2% were divorced or separated, and 4% were widowed.
The most commonly spoken languages at home were Otjiherero
Herero (, ''Otjiherero'') is a Bantu language spoken by the Herero and Mbanderu peoples in Namibia and Botswana, as well as by small communities of people in southwestern Angola. There were 211,700 speakers in 2014.
Distribution
Its linguisti ...
languages (42% of households) and Nama/ Damara (36%). For those 15 years and older, the literacy rate was 57%. In terms of education, 51% of girls and 49% of boys between the ages of 6-15 were attending school, and of those older than 15, 45% had left school, 9% were currently at school, and 41% had never attended.[ In 2001 the employment rate for the labor force (56% of those 15+) was 77% employed and 23% unemployed. For those 15+ years old and not in the labor force (24%), 19% were students, 56% homemakers, and 25% retired, too old, or other categories.][ According to the 2012 Namibia Labour Force Survey, unemployment in the Kunene Region stood at 27.0%. The two studies are methodologically not comparable.]
Among households, 73% had safe water
Drinking water is water that is used in drinking, drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity ...
, 66% no toilet facility, 22% electricity for lighting, 72% access to radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
, and 81% had wood or charcoal for cooking. In terms of household's main sources of income, 35% derived it from farming, 37% from wages and salaries, 7% cash remittances, 7% from business or non-farming, and 10% from pension.[
For every 1,000 live births there were 49 female infant deaths and 61 male. The life expectancy at birth was 57 years for females and 50 for males. Among children younger than 15, 2% had lost a mother, 5% a father, and 1% were orphaned by both parents. 5% of the entire population had a disability, of which 18% were deaf, 35% blind, 16% had a speech disability, 18% hand disability, 27% leg disability, and 5% mental disability.][
According to the Namibia 2011 Population and Housing Census, Kunene had a population of 86,856 (43,253 females and 43,603 males or 101 males for every 100 females) growing at an annual rate of 2.3%. The ]fertility rate
The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if:
# she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) through her lifetime
# she were t ...
was 4.9 children per woman. 26% lived in urban areas while 74% lived in rural areas, and with an area of 115,293 km2, the population density was 0.8 persons per km2. By age, 17% of the population was under 5 years old, 25% between 5–14 years, 51% between 15–59 years, and 7% 60 years and older. The population was divided into 18,495 households, with an average size of 4.6 persons. 40% of households had a female head of house, while 60% had a male. For those 15 years and older, 56% had never married, 13% married with certificate, 18% married traditionally, 8% married consensually, 2% were divorced or separated, and 3% were widowed.
The most commonly spoken languages at home were Otjiherero
Herero (, ''Otjiherero'') is a Bantu language spoken by the Herero and Mbanderu peoples in Namibia and Botswana, as well as by small communities of people in southwestern Angola. There were 211,700 speakers in 2014.
Distribution
Its linguisti ...
languages (47% of households) and Nama/ Damara (32%). For those 15 years and older, the literacy rate was 65%. In terms of education, 51% of girls and 49% of boys between the ages of 6-15 were attending school, and of those older than 15, 50% had left school, 9% were currently at school, and 37% had never attended.[ In 2011 the employment rate for the labor force (67% of those 15+) was 64% employed and 36% unemployed. For those 15+ years old and not in the labor force (24%), 31% were students, 30% homemakers, and 31% retired, too old, or other categories.][ According to the 2012 Namibia Labour Force Survey, unemployment in the Kunene Region stood at 27.0%. The two studies are methodologically not comparable.]
Villages
* Otjomotjira
Gallery
File:Dioptase-Shattuckite-163280.jpg, Dioptase
Dioptase is an intense emerald-green to bluish-green copper cyclosilicate mineral. It is transparent to translucent. Its luster is vitreous to sub- adamantine. Its formula is Cu6Si6O18·6H2O (also reported as CuSiO2(OH)2). It has a hardness of 5 ...
(clear green) on Shattuckite
Shattuckite is a copper silicate hydroxide mineral with formula Cu5(SiO3)4(OH)2. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic – dipyramidal crystal system and usually occurs in a granular massive form and also as fibrous acicular crystals. It is closely ...
(blue), Kaokoveld Plateau, Kunene Region
References
External links
{{Authority control
Regions of Namibia
States and territories established in 1992
1992 establishments in Namibia