Opuwo is the capital of the

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

in north-western

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 ...

. The town is situated about 720 km north-northwest from the capital

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 ...

, and has a population of 20,000. It is the commercial hub of the Kunene Region.

Economy and infrastructure

Opuwo is situated at the intersection of the C41 and C43. There is a small airfield in town,

Opuwo Airport Opuwo Airport is an airport serving Opuwo, Namibia. The Opuwa non-directional beacon (Ident: OP) is located west of Rwy 03/21 mid-field. See also * * *List of airports in Namibia *Transport in Namibia This article deals with the system of tra ...

. Putuavanga Senior Secondary School in town is among the best government schools in Kunene Region. There is also the ''Opuwo Primary School'' 39 teachers and 1,200 learners. There are the following organizations and offices in the town: Opuwo Police Station, Opuwo District Hospital, Ministry of Home Affairs (Department of Civic Affairs / Regional Civic Registration Office /

) and Opuwo Department of Works. There is a Christian church. Opuwo Country Lodge - Namibie - panoramio (1)

Politics

Opuwo is governed by a town council that has seven seats. The 2015 local authority election was narrowly won by the

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 ...

party, which gained four seats (1,593 votes). The remaining three seats went to 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) with 1,504 votes. The 2020 local authority election was won by 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). It obtained 1,376 votes and gained four seats. SWAPO was the runner-up and gained the remaining three seats with 1,127 votes.

History

Etymology

The name Opuwo was given by the commissioner of Ondangwa,

Hugo Hahn Carl Hugo Hahn (1818–1895) was a Baltic German missionary and linguist who worked in South Africa and South-West Africa for most of his life. Together with Franz Heinrich Kleinschmidt, he set up the first Rhenish mission station to the Herer ...

, who came in search of land to build an office. Upon his arrival, he asked local headmen to give him land where he could build an office. The headmen gave him a small plot, and when the headmen tried to give him more land, Mr. Hahn responded saying "''Opuwo'' (it’s enough for me). I don’t want any more land". That is how Opuwo got its name. The local residents of Opuwo called it ''Otjihinamaparero'' at the time, and some still call it that. Hugo Hahn called the land "Ohopoho Otjitopora", which means "they see the bore hole and their water comes out". The name Otjihinamaparero was changed to Opuwo in 1974 due to orthographic reform.

Colonial administration

The first office to be established in the Kaokoland area was the colonial administrator in Swartbooisdrift on the banks of the Kunene River. This was the administrative centre of the area from 1925 to 1939. Afterwards, administrative control of the area shifted to Ohopoho, later called Opuwo. The police station in Swartbooisdrift was run by Sergeant Herbert, and his aim was to receive the Angola Boers who had trekked to

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

out of refusal to accept the British government 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 ...

. Sergeant Basson took over the office at Swartbooisdrift, and excavated Opuwo's first bore hole. Basson had the nickname “''Katjiriamakaja''” (a person who eats tobacco).

Culture

The Opuwo Town Council hosts the annual Opuwo Trade Fair, which was launched in 2012. The festival combines a modern business exhibition with cultural performances, live shows and entertainment. Opuwo Trade Fair takes place in the month of May. Opuwo, Namibia - panoramio (2)

People from Opuwo

* Pieter de Villiers, former town councillor

References

External links

* https://ehc731.wixsite.com/opuwo/blank * https://kunenerc.gov.na/
Opuwo website
{{Authority control Populated places in the Kunene Region Towns in Namibia