Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Okakarara

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Country
  
Constituencies of Namibia
  
Okakarara Constituency

Local time
  
Thursday 12:06 PM

Region
  
Otjozondjupa Region

Climate
  
BSh

Population
  
4,709 (2011)

Okakarara

Time zone
  
South African Standard Time (UTC+1)

Weather
  
27°C, Wind E at 10 km/h, 49% Humidity

Nampa okakarara residents want electricity 05 oct 2016 hd


Okakarara is a town in Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia, located 50 km southeast of Waterberg National Park. It has an estimated population of 7000 and is currently growing by 1500 inhabitants annually.

Contents

Map of Okakarara, Namibia

Okakarara consists of the residential areas of Opamue, the former whites-only area, and Okakarara Proper, the former black residential area. It is the district capital of the Okakarara electoral constituency that includes surrounding settlements.

Happy in okakarara beliya steps for children in namibia


History

The first house was built by Salathiel Kambamba Kambazembi and Reinard Tjerije who arrived in the area in 1923. The settlement grew over time and was proclaimed a town in 1992. Okakarara became the centre of the Herero Tribal Authority in the early seventies.

Politics

Okakarara is governed by a town council that currently has seven seats. Formerly part of the Apartheid-era bantustan Hereroland, the area is still mainly populated by the Herero people. Because of this, Okakarara is one of the few towns in Namibia where the otherwise dominant SWAPO party came only second in the 2004 elections, and the Herero-dominated NUDO won. Due to a very unusual coalition between SWAPO and DTA, the elected town mayor Ehrnst Katjiku has SWAPO affiliation.

Economy

Since 2007, Okakarara houses an annual trade fair. This initiative also led to the erection of a trade centre and an SME park. The town further features a secondary school,a government hospital, a vocational training centre, and an abbatoir.

Okakarara Trade Fair

The Okakarara trade fair is an annual four-day trade fair event which was first started in 2007 as a way to bring the breeders of the communal area around the town together to showcase the animals and as well as share ideas on how they can help improve farming methods. Marquees are erected at the Okakarara Community Cultural Centre which was built with funding from Germany, to accommodate the increased number of exhibitors, as the existing hall is too small to cater to all the exhibitors. Exhibitors include automobile dealers who showcase their latest models. Farmers showcasing their livestock, food stalls, beverages and many other stalls are available. Other exhibitors engaged in the selling of agricultural equipment and vehicles are placed around the fairground on open stands. Because Okakarara is in a rural area, agriculture is important and so the trade fair is a great opportunity to attract investment to the town and it also allows communal farmers to showcase their breeds.

Twin towns

Okakarara has twinning agreements with the following Namibian towns:

Notable residents

  • Ngarikutuke Tjiriange, former Namibian Minister of Justice
  • References

    Okakarara Wikipedia