Martin Luther High School (MLH) is a boarding school in the village of

Okombahe Okombahe is a settlement in the Erongo Region of eastern central Namibia, situated on the Omaruru River north of Karibib. It is regarded as the capital of the ǂNûkhoen ( Damara) tribe; the annual King's Festival is held at the town's ''Gaob M ...

in the

Erongo Region 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 ...

of central

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

, named after German church reformer

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

. The school 250 pupils in grades 8 to 12, and twelve teachers. There are different accounts on when and where the school was established. According to Klaus Dierks, Martin Luther High was opened in 1968 at the initiative of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of South West Africa. Originally planned for the nearby town of

Karibib Karibib () is a town in the Erongo Region of western Namibia. It has 8,434 inhabitants. Karibib is the district capital of the Karibib Constituency, Karibib electoral constituency. It is situated on the Khan River, halfway between Windhoek and S ...

, the South African administration did not approve the establishment of a school for black children in the white-only town. Instead, a place had to be found where white teachers and black pupils could live segregated, and the school was opened in Okombahe at the edge of the

Damaraland Damaraland was a name given to the north-central part of South West Africa, which later became Namibia, inhabited by the Damaras. It was bordered roughly by Ovamboland in the north, the Namib Desert in the west, the Kalahari Desert in the e ...

bantustan A Bantustan (also known as a Bantu peoples, Bantu homeland, a Black people, black homeland, a Khoisan, black state or simply known as a homeland; ) was a territory that the National Party (South Africa), National Party administration of the ...

. According to the national newspaper ''

The Namibian ''The Namibian'' is the largest daily newspaper in Namibia. It is published in English and Oshiwambo. History The newspaper was established in 1985 by journalist Gwen Lister as a weekly newspaper reliant on support of donors, which aimed to ...

'', the school was established in 1962 in Karibib and moved to Okombahe in 1970, again for the reason that the school admitted black learners, and Karibib was a white-only town. The school's medium of instruction during the years of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n occupation was English, while other government schools taught in

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

. The school has fallen into disrepair and launched a campaign in 2014 to have its basic amenities repaired. In 2015 the school had sufficient money collected to start its first renovation since 1970.

Notable teachers and alumni

* Tangeni Amupadhi, editor of ''The Namibian'' * Albertus Aochamub, press secretary in the Office of the President * Axali Doëseb, composer of Namibia's National Anthem * Max Hamata, editor of '' The Confidente'' *

Joshua ǁHoebeb Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Exodus and Numbers, and later succeeded Moses as leader of the ...

, one of the first teachers at the school, today Governor of

Kunene Region Kunene is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia. Its capital is Opuwo, its governor is Vipuakuje Muharukua. The region's name comes from the Kunene River which forms the northern border with Angola. Geography Besides the capital Opuwo, the reg ...

Alpheus ǃNaruseb Alpheus ǀGou-ǃna ǃNaruseb (born 20 March 1954) is a Namibian politician who has served in the cabinet of Namibia in various portfolios. A member of the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), !Naruseb has served in the cabinet since ...

, Minister of Lands and Resettlement * Hilma Nicanor, Deputy Minister for Veteran Affairs, graduated 1974

References

{{coord missing, Namibia Schools in Erongo Region 1968 establishments in South West Africa Educational institutions established in 1968

Notable teachers and alumni

See also

References