NAMIBIA: Oshakati In Oshana Region Of Namibia

Oshakati Observervation Tower
Oshakati is a town of 37,000 inhabitants in the Oshana Region of Namibia. It is the regional capital and was officially founded in July 1966.

The city was used as a base of operations by the South African Defence Force (SADF) during the South African Border War.

Oshakati is divided into the electoral constituencies of Oshakati East and Oshakati West.

These towns are in the Owambo heartland, above the red line. Although not normally a tourist destination, this region contains the greatest population centers in Namibia.

In Oshiwambo, the language of the Ovambo, the town's name means that which is in between, although some believe that the name Oshakati or Otshakati was used to refer to the broadcast tower (275 m high), the tallest structure downtown and in Namibia.

Oshakati is one of Namibia's largest cities and it is located near the B1, Namibia's main highway, which stretches from South Africa through the capital Windhoek and on to the Angolan border.

The Oshakati town, popularly known as Otshakati tsha Nangombe by the native Kwambi people is within the Kwambi traditional authority.

In February 1988, a bomb blast occurred in Oshakati at the First National Bank, killing 27 people and badly injuring nearly 30 others, most of them nurses and teachers.

No one was ever officially convicted of the bombing and the issue was dropped upon independence in 1990 in favour of national reconciliation.

Oshakati has experienced much development since Namibia achieved independence on March 21, 1990.

In April 2006, the Oshakati Town Council building was inaugurated by Botswana's President Festus Mogae.

The Oshana Regional Study and Resource Center was established on September 17, 2014 through the assistance of the Millennium Challenge Account Namibia (MCA-N).

Situated between the GIPF house and the Social Security regional head office in Oshakati, the library can host up to 600 people, has 220 study spaces, a meeting hall that can accommodate 125 seated people, a video conferencing room, and shelving spaces for up to 35,000 books.

Oshakati has a football team, Oshakati City FC.

Many primary and secondary schools are to be found in Oshakati, e.g. Iipumbu, Oshakati, Ngolo, Erundu Secondary School, Cabatana and others, including Afoti Combined School in Uuvudhiya constituency in Oshana Region in the Omapopo cluster of Oshakati Circuit.

Since the turn of the century, there are now many shops like Jet, Mr Price, furniture stores, shoes stores, pharmacies, etc.

The three main shopping centres are Game, Etango, and Yetu. There is also Oshakati Independence Stadium and University of Namibia Northern campus.

Dr. Frans Aupa Indongo Open Market consists of seasonal market spaces, formal fresh food markets, formal cooked food markets.

The following groceries are available at the market: tomato, onion, watermelon, meat, dried fish and dried edible caterpillars.

Oshakati is situated in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin and cut by the Okatana River.

Both of these geographic features make the town prone to flooding; in 2008 it was last hit by heavy floods.

The Oshakati Master Plan Project is underway to build a 23 kilometres (14 mi) dike around the town, to deepen and straighten the river, and to resettle people living near the riverbed and clogging the flow of water.

Oshakati has a semi-arid climate, with hot summers and relatively mild winters - with warm days and cool nights. The average annual precipitation is 472 mm (19 in), with most rainfall occurring mainly during summer.

Oshakati is governed by a town council that has seven seats.

Oshana Region, to which Oshakati belongs, is a stronghold of Namibia's ruling SWAPO party.

In the 2015 local authority election SWAPO won by a landslide (4,569 votes) and gained six council seats.

The remaining seat went to the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) which gained 330 votes.

Major Katrina Shimbulu from SWAPO has been serving in this position from 2007 to 2010, and again after the 2015 election.

Oshakati Town Council hosts the annual Oshakati Totem Expo, which combines the celebration of local traditions with a modern business exhibition.

The event was launched by Oshana governor Clemens Kashuupulwa, on 9 June 2012. It takes place annually for a period of four days in the months of June or July.

Shared taxis are numerous through Ondangwa and Oshakati and most trips within one town will cost N$6.00 per passenger.

A shared taxi ride from Ondangwa to Oshakati can be negotiated for N$10.00 per person.

La Rocha's is located on the main highway (B1), and serves a wide selection of Portuguese and Angolan dishes.

Most cab drivers will understand where to go if pronounced Russias.


Tourism Observer

NAMIBIA: From Refueller To Airport Station Controller With Air Namibia

Air Namibia, the national carrier of Namibia would like to celebrate the life of Mr Martin Andreas, Air Namibia’s Station Controller at Ondangwa Airport.

Martin has been devoted to Air Namibia for close to four decades, and leaves a stable station behind as he enters his retirement on Friday, 31 March 2017.

From humble beginnings, Martin joined Air Namibia (Namib Air at that time) on 10 February 1978 as a Refueller for aircraft at Eros Airport. He was responsible for quality control of aircraft fuel before refuelling the aircraft.

I had to make sure that the fuel is not mixed with water before refuelling.

When fuel for aircraft has been transported, it needs to be stable for a while before refuelling, to ensure that dirt and unwanted substances remain at the bottom of the container, while clean oil emerges at the top,” he explained his entry position at the national airliner.

Three years later, in 1981, Martin was transferred to the workshop division, working as an Engineer Assistant. He was primarily responsible for maintenance of jet engines, replacement of jet tyres and greasing of jet bearings. He served in this position for two years, before he was reassigned back to be a Refueller. Apart from being a Refueller,

Martin was also responsible for training and mentoring new Refueller trainees mainly on how to test the quality of jet fuel before refuelling. He held this position for 4 years, from 1983 till early 1987.

A highlight in his career that Martin will always keep close to his heart was when he was appointed as Petrol Station Manager for fuelling jetliners’ in mid-October 1987.

This appointment meant that he had to be transferred to Oshakati in Oshana region.I was very delighted with this appointment, as I was entrusted with more responsibilities that are very critical to the daily management of the national airline. It was also a great opportunity to reunite with my family in the north, he proudly said.

It was in April 1994 when Martin was appointed as the Station Manager for Ondangwa Airport, after the airliners offices moved from Oshakati to Ondangwa earlier that year.

He served in this position up until his retirement. His day to day work is to oversee the smooth running of the station, making sure that flights depart on the scheduled time and daily work, including managing staff under his wing.

As Martin reflects on 39 years of his time at Air Namibia, he recalls various developments that took place at the national airline. I have seen Air Namibia growing from small company to a bigger and better company over the years,he narrated.

He continued, When I started in 1978, the company was known as South West Airways, and later renamed Namib Air the very same year. Following Namibia’s independence in 1990, Namib Air was renamed Air Namibia.

In the early years, Air Namibia only had 4 small aircrafts: a 5 seater, 8 seater, 22 seater and the biggest being a 55 seater aircraft. Today, Air Namibia boasts a fleet of 10 aircrafts operating nationally, regionally and internationally.

Advocate Mandi Samson, Air Namibia’s Acting Managing Director described Martin as a humble leader who serves customers with a sense of humility, selflessness and commitment.

Martin’s attention to detail, while keeping the broader picture in mind, has been invaluable. His willingness to put in extra time and effort to complete tasks within deadlines has demonstrated commitment to achieve excellence.

During his career, he acquired valuable skills in the aviation field through countless training courses and workshops. Martin narrates, For 39 years I worked at Air

Namibia, I have gone through multiple training courses; from Airport operation training to ground handling, aircraft loading and other supervisory trainings.

Although I have been empowered over the years, I am a firm believer that information needs to be shared for the smooth running of the business. To that effect, I have been able to successfully impart the experience, knowledge and skills I have gained over the years to my colleagues,he specified.

Joining the aviation industry at a youthful age of 21 and spending most of his lifetime at Air Namibia, Martin said that he will always be grateful and indebted to Air Namibia for being part of his life. Filled with mixed feelings, he said: Although this employment has occupied most of my life, it has empowered me to be a responsible manager, mentor and friend.

I have acquired business acumen skills, invaluable experience and of course, I have been able to provide for my family. In a nutshell, this opportunity has made me a better person in life.

In his final words, Martin said: I will miss my Air Namibia family, more especially my colleagues at Ondangwa, and the friends I have made over the years. But closer to the heart, I will miss the beautiful landing and taking off of our aircraft.

As I go on retirement, I would like to wish the company all the best with its current and future plans.

Adv. Samson extended words of appreciation to Mr Martin on behalf of the national airline; Air Namibia would like to extend our best wishes to Martin in his new endeavours. Martin will be greatly missed by the passengers and colleagues alike.

We have all benefited from his hands on proactive approach and management style. Air Namibia wishes Martin a happy retirement.

NAMIBIA: Rains Cause Relief And Damage

THE rain that fell over many parts of the central north between Sunday night and yesterday morning has brought sighs of relief to the residents especially the farmers who have lost many of their livestock during this year's devastating drought.

The councillor for Uuvudhiya Constituency Amutenya Ndaafa, whose area has been a grazing haven for many farmers from all over the central north, told The Namibian yesterday that Uuvudhiya area got showers and rain was still falling yesterday afternoon.

He said this is a big relief to many farmers who are grazing their animals in that area. According to Ndaafa, many farmers lost cattle because of the severe drought that hit the area.

“We have struggled a lot with inadequate water and fodder for the animals, especially cattle. Many farmers had to spend a lot of money to buy fodder to save their animals,” Ndaafa said adding that many of the farmers may still need assistance because their money has been exhausted.

Ndaafa however said the rain that fell in the area on Sunday evening was accompanied by strong winds that blew away many people's houses and cuca shops in the Uuvudhiya area, leaving many sleeping in the open.

According to Ndaafa, houses and cuca shops at John yaOtto Centre as well as at Ondjunguklume and Omambuku were damaged, some extensively, during Sunday's storm.

Although Oshakati residents are happy with the rain, they expressed fear that their houses, shops, cuca shops, schools and churches as well as other community centres might be flooded because of the run off from the regraded streets and main roads that are higher than the level of these buildings.

They said the town council had not made provision for water drainage and if heavy rains come, these businesses, houses and other facilities will be under water.

“Unless the town council does something now, people will be under water,” a resident of Oshakati said.

Many farmers are now busy preparing their mahangu fields although most of those who use donkeys and oxen for draught power say the animals are still too weak to pull the ploughs because of the drought and they will need tractors to plough their fields.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, has promised to assist farmers to plough their fields at a subsidised rate.

An appeal has been sent to the regional councillors and village headmen to coordinate the system, so that farmers who need this assistance can plough their fields.