Omusati Region

Omusati region is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Outapi. The Mopane tree gave the name to this region (omusati: Ndonga: Mopane) and is the dominant species in the region. The Makalani palms decrease rapidly westwards from the border with Oshana region. The change in vegetation type reflects ecological conditions forming a natural boundary between the two regions.

Omusati Region
Region
Location of the Omusati Region in Namibia
CountryNamibia
CapitalOutapi
Government
 • GovernorErkki Endjala[1]
Area
 • Total26,551 km2 (10,251 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)[3]
 • Total243,166
 • Density9.2/km2 (24/sq mi)
Time zoneSouth African Standard Time: UTC+2
HDI (2017)0.617[4]
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The region is home to the Ruacana Falls. The waterfall is 120 meters (390 ft) high and 700 meters (2,300 ft) wide in full flood and is among the largest waterfalls in Africa, both by volume and width. Omusati is also home to the Omugulugwombashe Heritage Site, where the Namibian struggle for independence started in 1966.

In the north, Omusati borders the Cunene Province of Angola. Domestically, it borders the following regions:

Politics

The governor of Omusati is Erkki Endjala.[1] The region comprises twelve constituencies:

Electorally, Omusati region is consistently dominated by the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO). For instance, Omusati voters selected SWAPO with 97.68% of their votes in the 2004 parliamentary election,[5] and again with 98% in the 2014 election. The 2015 local and regional elections saw SWAPO win uncontested eight of the twelve Omusati constituencies, and two of the five towns.[6] The remaining four constituencies SWAPO won by a landslide, with results ranging from 89% (Ruacana) to 98% (Ogongo).[7]

Economy and infrastructure

The northern part of Omusati is far more densely populated than the south, where the grazing is of poor quality and the water generally saline. This is predominantly an agricultural region in which mahangu is cultivated successfully. A canal carries water from the Ruacana river to Oshakati, passing through Outapi. Water from this canal has been used to irrigate a large, government-run farm at Etunda where crops from maize to watermelon to bananas are grown. The electrical network covers towns including Outapi, Ruacana, Tsandi, Oshikuku, and Okahao.

The region is traversed by a high standard trunk road which provides a direct link to adjacent regions and the rest of the country. Although passenger and freight transport along this route is easy, the rest of this road network, in common with all the communal areas of northern Namibia, is of poor quality. Okahao and Outapi both have small hospitals, and a network of clinics provides basic services.

Only 17% of households in Omusati have access to improved sanitation (toilet facilities).[8] According to the 2012 Namibia Labour Force Survey, unemployment in the Region is 28.9%.[9] Omusati has 274 schools with a total of 86,365 pupils.[10]

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References
  1. "President announces governors". The Namibian. 10 April 2015. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  2. "Namibia's Population by Region". Election Watch. Institute for Public Policy Research (1): 3. 2013.
  3. "Omusati 2011 Census Regional Profile" (PDF). Statistics Namibia. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  4. "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  5. Election Update 2004 Archived 2008-12-03 at the Wayback Machine Namibia
  6. "Opposition parties are mosquitoes, says Kawana". The Namibian. 26 October 2015.
  7. "Regional Council Election Results 2015". Electoral Commission of Namibia. 3 December 2015. p. 17. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015.
  8. Tjihenuna, Theresia (2 April 2014). "More than 1 million Namibians defecate in open". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  9. Duddy, Jo Maré (11 April 2013). "Unemployment rate still alarmingly high". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013.
  10. Miyanicwe, Clemans; Kahiurika, Ndanki (27 November 2013). "School counsellors overstretched". The Namibian. p. 1.

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