Opuwo
Town
Other nameOhopoho
Native nameOtjihinamaparero
CountryNamibia
RegionKunene Region
ConstituencyOpuwo
Unit prefImperial
Area total9.89 km²
Population as of2023 census
Population total12,335
Time zoneSAST (UTC+2)
Coordinates18°3′20″S 13°50′26″E
Area code065
ClimateBWh

Opuwo is the capital of the Kunene Region in north-western Namibia. The town is situated about 720 km north-northwest of the capital Windhoek, and has a population of around 12,300 (2023). 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, the Opuwo Airport.[1]

Putuavanga Senior Secondary School in town is among the best government schools in the Kunene Region. There is also the Opuwo Primary School with 39 teachers and 1,200 learners.[2]

The following organizations and offices are situated in the town: Opuwo Police Station, Opuwo District Hospital, Ministry of Home Affairs (Department of Civic Affairs / Regional Civic Registration Office / Kunene Region), and Opuwo Department of Works. There is a Christian church.[3]

Politics

Opuwo is governed by a town council that has seven seats.[4]

Electoral history

2020 local authority election[5]
PartyVotesSeats
Popular Democratic Movement13764
SWAPO11273
National Unity Democratic Organisation1280
Independent Patriots for Change1200
Rally for Democracy and Progress460
Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters150
2015 local authority election[6]
PartyVotesSeats
Democratic Turnhalle Alliance15043
National Unity Democratic Organisation1550
Rally for Democracy and Progress440
2004 local authority election[7]
PartyVotesSeats
Democratic Turnhalle Alliance5382
Congress of Democrats3962
National Unity Democratic Organisation2591
Mayors
NameTermParty
Uaurikua KakuvaJune 2004 – 2010DTA[8][9]
Pieter de VilliersJune 2006-?CoD[10]
Tuarungua Kavari2010-15SWAPO[11][12][13]
Albert TjiumaDecember 2015 - December 2020SWAPO[14]
Rosa Mbinge-TjeundoDecember 2020 - CurrentPDM[15][16]

History

Etymology

The name Opuwo was given in the 1920s by the commissioner of Ondangwa, Carl Hugo Linsingen Hahn, the grandson of Carl Hugo Hahn, who came in search of land to build an office. Upon his arrival, he asked the local headman to give him land where he could build an office. The headman gave him a small plot, and when the headman tried to give him more land, Hahn responded, saying, "Ohopoho (it’s enough for me). I don't want any more land". The word Ohopoho was changed to Opuwo in 1974 due to orthographic reform. The residents of Opuwo called it Otjihinamaparero at the time, and some still call it that.[17][18]

Colonial administration

The first office to be established in the Kaokoland area was the colonial administrative office 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 he aimed to receive the Angola Boers who had trekked to Angola out of refusal to accept the British government in South Africa. Sergeant Basson took over the office at Swartbooisdrift and excavated Opuwo's first borehole. 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. The Opuwo Trade Fair takes place in the month of May.[19]

References

  1. ^
  2. ^ "Kunene schools overcrowded". The Namibian. Nampa. 11 January 2017. p. 5.
  3. ^ "The photographs of Opuwo, October 2017". Independent Travellers. independent-travellers.com. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  4. ^ "Know Your Local Authority". Election Watch. No. 3. Institute for Public Policy Research. 2015. p. 4.
  5. ^ "2020 Local Authority Elections Results and Allocation of Seats". Electoral Commission of Namibia. 29 November 2020. p. 9. Archived 14 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ "Local elections results". Electoral Commission of Namibia. p. 4. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Local elections results". Electoral Commission of Namibia. p. 7. Archived 30 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ^ Dentlinger, Lindsay (8 June 2004). "Opuwo councillors take oath, Swapo to head to court". The Namibian. Archived 13 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ "Opuwo Rural Constituency Councillor has died | nbc". 2023-05-14. Archived 14 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  10. ^ "Why Was Opuwo's Mayor Absent?". New Era Live. 19 September 2006. Archived 14 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ^ "Swapo, PDM Exposes Each Other Over "Baffling" Past Land Dealings at Opuwo – Eagle FM". 2023-04-26. Archived 26 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  12. ^ "Kavari re-elected as Opuwo mayor". 2023-05-14. Archived 14 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  13. ^ "Home"
  14. ^ "Tjiuma re-elected as Opuwo mayor - Namibia News Digest". 2023-05-14. Archived 14 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  15. ^ "Opuwo mayor marks 100 days in office - Namibia News Digest". 2023-05-14. Archived 14 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  16. ^ "Opuwo Re-Elect's Mbinge-Tjeundo As Mayor – Eagle FM". 2023-05-14. Archived 14 May 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  17. ^ Dierks, Klaus. "Biographies of Namibian Personalities, H". klausdierks.com. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  18. ^ Hihanguapo. M.(2000). How Opuwo got its name. In G. Miescher & D. Henrichesen (Eds.), New notes on Kaoko (p. 9). Basel: Basler Afrika Bibliographien.
  19. ^ "Home". opuwo.info