Outapi wa Nakafingo na Temba, also Outapi or Uutapi and Ombalantu, is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in northern

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

near the border with

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

, situated northwest of

Oshakati Oshakati is a town in northern Namibia. It is the regional capital of the Oshana Region and one of Namibia's largest cities both by population and as an economic center. It had a population of 58,656 people in 2023. Oshakati was founded i ...

. It is the capital of the

Omusati region Omusati (the Oshindonga word for Mopane, the dominant tree in the area) is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Outapi. The towns of Okahao, Oshikuku and Ruacana as well as the self-governed village Tsandi are situated in ...

and the district capital of the Outapi electoral constituency. It had a population of 13,664 people in 2023. The language spoken there is Oshiwambo.

Geography

The town normally receives an annual average rainfall of , although in the 2010/2011 rainy season were measured.

Economy and infrastructure

In 2001, Outapi was the smallest town in Namibia, with a population of just over 2,600. It is, however, developing rapidly. There is a large number of newly constructed government buildings and shops in the south of the town. The town features several schools, a community hall, a hospital and a police station. There are two open markets, one at the Ombalantu baobab tree and one at Onhimbu. There is also a tourist lodge.

Culture and tourism

Within the former

South African Army The South African Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Servi ...

base is the famous ''Omukwa'' Ombalantu baobab tree, a

baobab ''Adansonia'' is a genus of medium-to-large deciduous trees known as baobabs ( or ). The eight species of ''Adansonia'' are native to Africa, Australia, and Madagascar but have also been introduced to other regions of the world, including Barb ...

whose huge hollow trunk has been used in the past as a post office, a chapel, and a coffee shop, and houses a craft shop. The town hosts the annual Olufuko Festival, which was initiated in 2012. The festival is a combination of a business expo and cultural celebrations, of which the initiation ceremony that prepares teenage girls for womanhood is the heart of the festival. Namibia's first president and founding father, Sam Nujoma, is the patron of the Olufuko Festival.

Politics

Outapi is governed by a town council that has seven seats. Omusati Region, to which Outapi belongs, is a stronghold of Namibia's ruling

SWAPO The South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO ; , SWAVO; , SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia (formerly South West Africa). Founded in 1960, it has been ...

party. For the 2015 local authority election no opposition party nominated a candidate, and SWAPO won all seven seats uncontested. SWAPO also won the 2020 local authority election. It obtained 721 votes and gained five seats. The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), an opposition party formed in August 2020, obtained 357 votes and gained the remaining two seats. Selma Asino mayor of Outapi.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Towns in Namibia Populated places in the Omusati Region