Rundu is the capital and largest city of the
Kavango-East Region in northern
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 ...
. It lies on the border with
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
on the banks of the
Kavango River
The Okavango River (formerly spelled Okovango or Okovanggo), Also known as the Cubango River, is a river in southwest Africa. It is the fourth-longest river system in southern Africa, running southeastward for . It begins at an elevation of in ...
about
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
. Rundu's population is growing rapidly. The 2001
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
counted 36,964 inhabitants;
and for the 2011 census it has climbed to 63,430.
History
In 1936, it became the seat of the local governor as it replaced
Nkurenkuru
Nkurenkuru (1.093 m above sea level) 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 west of Rundu. It is also a former mission station of the Finnish Missionar ...
as capital of the Kavango district. 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.
Since 1993, its
St. Mary's Cathedral is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic
Apostolic Vicariate of Rundu
The Apostolic Vicariate of Rundu ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Runduensis) is a Roman Catholic apostolic vicariate in Namibia (southwestern Africa). Its cathedral episcopal see is St. Mary's in the city of Rundu.
Although a missionary pre-dioc ...
.
Politics
Rundu is governed by a town council that has seven seats.
The
2015 local authority election was won by
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 ...
which gained five seats (6,973 votes). One seat each went to the local
Rundu Concerned Citizens Association
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 above sea level. Rundu's population is growing rapidly. The 2001 census counted 36,9 ...
(1,043 votes) and the
All People's Party (APP, 973 votes). 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
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 above sea level. Rundu's population is growing rapidly. The 2001 census counted 36,9 ...
(386 votes), and the
Independent Patriots for Change
The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) is a political party in Namibia. It was founded by Panduleni Itula in August 2020. As an independent presidential candidate in the 2019 Namibian general election, November 2019 election, Itula won the b ...
(IPC), an opposition party formed in August 2020, that gained 321 votes.
Geography
Localities
Many of Rundu's residents live in
shack
A shack (or, in some areas, shanty) is a type of small shelter or dwelling, often primitive or rudimentary in design and construction.
Unlike huts, shacks are constructed by hand using available materials; however, whereas huts are usually ru ...
s. In 2020 the town had a total of 18,219 of these informal housing structures, accommodating more than 76,000 inhabitants, 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.
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.
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
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.
Climate
Rundu has a
hot semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
: ''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
In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day.
Temperature lag
Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak d ...
during the winter with average high temperatures at roughly and average low temperatures at . 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 , although in the 2010/2011 rainy season were measured.
Economy and infrastructure
Rundu Open Market
Rundu Open Market is the most well-known and biggest
open market
The term open market is used generally to refer to an economic situation close to free trade. In a more specific, technical sense, the term refers to interbank trade in securities.
In economic theory
Economists judge the "openness" of markets a ...
in the town. It was founded in 1996 through cooperation between the government of Namibia and the government of
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
.
Transport
Rundu Airport
Rundu Airport is an airport serving Rundu, the capital of the Kavango Region in Namibia. The airport is southwest of the center of Rundu.
Runway 26 has an additional of displaced threshold available for takeoff. There are no IFR procedures ...
, mostly used for tourism and cargo, is southwest of the town.
The
Rundu State Hospital
Rundu State Hospital is a government hospital in Rundu, 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 ...
is situated in the center of the town, off Markus Siwarongo street. It's the largest hospital in
Kavango East
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-governed settlem ...
.
Military
There is a military base of the
Namibian Defence Force
The Namibian Defence Force (NDF) comprises the national military forces of Namibia. It was created when the country, then known as South West Africa, gained independence from South Africa in 1990. Chapter 15 of the Constitution of Namibia establ ...
in Rundu. Built in 1972 and expanded in 1976, while
South West Africa
South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...
was under
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 ...
n occupation, it houses 1,600 soldiers. The base was named ''Voito Jason Kondjeleni Military Base'', after
People's Liberation Army of Namibia
The People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) was the military wing of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). It fought against the South African Defence Force (SADF) and South West African Territorial Force (SWATF) during the Sout ...
(PLAN) fighter
Voito Jason Kondjeleni who died in 1983.
Education and Culture
Rundu is home to many woodcarvers
Namibia: Woodcarvers of the Kavango by Fifi Rhodes. AllAfrica. 12 April 2012. and features a woodcarver's market near the open market. Several local restaurants serve traditional food, including mahangu
Pearl millet (''Cenchrus americanus'', commonly known as the synonym ''Pennisetum glaucum''; also known as 'Bajra' in Hindi, 'Sajje' in Kannada, 'Kambu' in Tamil, 'Bajeer' in Kumaoni and 'Maiwa' in Hausa, 'Mexoeira' in Mozambique) is the most w ...
, ground nuts, stewed meats, and fish from the Okavango River.
Schools
There are five tertiary Institutions in Rundu, namely the Rundu College of Education, the Institute of Open Learning (IOL), the Rundu Vocational Training Centre, the Namibia College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) and Triumphant College. The University of Namibia
The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, as well as the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992.
Background
UNAM comprises the follow ...
and Polytechnic of Namibia both maintain centres that provide 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.
Twin towns – sister cities
Rundu is twinned:
* Cheboksary
Cheboksary (; russian: Чебокса́ры, r=Cheboksáry, p=tɕɪbɐˈksarɨ; cv, Шупашкар, ''Şupaşkar'') is the capital city of Chuvashia, Russia and a port on the Volga River.
Geography
The city is located in the Volga Upland reg ...
, Chuvash Republic
Chuvashia (russian: Чувашия; cv, Чӑваш Ен), officially the Chuvash Republic — Chuvasia,; cv, Чӑваш Республики — Чӑваш Ен is a republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is the homeland of the Chuv ...
, Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
* Nieuwegein
Nieuwegein () is a municipality and city in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. It is bordered on the north by the city of Utrecht (city), Utrecht, the provincial capital. It is separated from Vianen to the south by the ...
, Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
References
{{Authority control
Regional capitals in Namibia
Towns in Namibia
Populated places in Kavango East
Angola–Namibia border crossings