, nickname = , settlement_type = Town , motto = , image_skyline =Karibib aerial view.jpg , imagesize =300 , image_caption =Karibib aerial view 2017 , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield = , shield_size = , image_blank_emblem = , blank_emblem_type = , blank_emblem_size = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Namibia , pushpin_label_position =bottom , pushpin_mapsize =300 , pushpin_map_caption =Location in Namibia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 =

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

, subdivision_name1 =

Erongo Region Erongo is one of the 14 regions of Namibia. The capital is Swakopmund. It is named after Mount Erongo, a well-known landmark in Namibia and in this area. Erongo contains the municipalities of Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Henties Bay and Omaruru, as w ...

, subdivision_type2 =

Constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

, subdivision_name2 = Karibib Constituency , subdivision_type3 = , subdivision_name3 = , government_footnotes = , government_type = , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Dawid Iipinge , leader_title1 = , leader_name1 = , established_title = Founded , established_date = 1900 , area_magnitude = , unit_pref = , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = , area_land_km2 = , area_water_km2 = , area_total_sq_mi = , population_as_of = 2011 , population_footnotes = , population_note = , population_total = 5132 , population_density_km2 = , population_density_sq_mi = , population_metro = , population_density_metro_km2 = , population_density_metro_sq_mi = , population_urban = , population_density_urban_km2 = , population_density_urban_sq_mi = , population_blank1_title =Ethnicities , population_blank1 = , population_density_blank1_km2 = , population_density_blank1_sq_mi = , timezone =

South African Standard Time South African Standard Time (SAST) is the time zone used by all of South Africa as well as Eswatini and Lesotho. The zone is two hours ahead of UTC ( UTC+02:00) and is the same as Central Africa Time. Daylight saving time is not observed in ...

, utc_offset = +2 , timezone_DST = , utc_offset_DST = , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = , blank_name =

Climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

, blank_info = BWh , blank1_name = , blank1_info = , website = , footnotes = Karibib Christuskirche 1963-11-02

Karibib ( hz, Otjandjomboimwe) is a town in the

of western

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

. It has 3,800 inhabitants and owns of town land. Karibib is the district capital of the Karibib electoral constituency. It is situated on the

Khan River The river Khan is an ephemeral river crossing the Erongo region of central Namibia. It is the main tributary of the Swakop River and only occasionally carries surface water during the rain seasons in November and February/March. Khan's catchment ...

, halfway between

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 202 ...

and

Swakopmund Swakopmund (german: Mouth of the Swakop) is a city on the coast of western Namibia, west of the Namibian capital Windhoek via the B2 main road. It is the capital of the Erongo administrative district. The town has 44,725 inhabitants and covers ...

on the B2 (Trans-Kalahari Highway), the main road between the

Walvis Bay Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The ci ...

and

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

. The town is known for its

aragonite Aragonite is a carbonate mineral, one of the three most common naturally occurring crystal forms of calcium carbonate, (the other forms being the minerals calcite and vaterite). It is formed by biological and physical processes, including pre ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

quarries A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

and the Navachab Gold Mine.

History

Karibib was a waterhole known to the

Herero Herero may refer to: * Herero people The Herero ( hz, Ovaherero) are a Bantu ethnic group inhabiting parts of Southern Africa. There were an estimated 250,000 Herero people in Namibia in 2013. They speak Otjiherero, a Bantu language. Though t ...

under the name ''Otjandjomboimwe''. Expecting business opportunities arising from the railway construction work between Swakopmund and Windhoek, Eduard Hälbich, merchant at

Otjimbingwe Otjimbingwe (also: Otjimbingue) is a settlement in the Erongo Region of central Namibia. It has approximately 8,000 inhabitants. History The area was already a temporary settlement of some Herero in the early 18th century. Their chief Tjiponda c ...

, bought the waterhole and 20,000 hectares of land surrounding it from Herero headman

Zacharias Zeraua Zechariah most often refers to: * Zechariah (Hebrew prophet), author of the Book of Zechariah * Zechariah (New Testament figure), father of John the Baptist Zechariah or its many variant forms and spellings may also refer to: People *Zechariah ...

. The deal was finalised on 7 January 1895, the purchase price was 22,500 marks (ℳ), two ox wagons, and 742 pounds 5 shillings that Zeraua had incurred in debts in Hälbich's shop in Otjimbingwe. Karibib began to grow quickly when on 30 May 1900 the railway construction reached the newly founded place. 1 June 1900 marks the day of the official foundation of Karibib at the occasion of the first train arriving from Swakopmund. The railway station was built, a medical practice, storage facilities, a prison, and living quarters were erected, and the population rose to 274. This development disadvantaged the settlement of Otjimbingwe; ox wagons that before would travel via Otjimbingwe on the

Alter Baiweg Alter may refer to: * Alter (name), people named Alter * Alter (automobile) * Alter (crater), a lunar crater * Alter Channel, a Greek TV channel * Archbishop Alter High School, a Roman Catholic high school in Kettering, Ohio * ALTER, a command in ...

(''Old bay path'') would now take the route through Karibib. In 1904 the place became again important as a railway hub for ferrying troops in the Herero and Namaqua War. Its status was upgraded to that of a county, and governance was extended to include Omaruru. At the end of the war in 1907, Karibib counted 316 white residents, and the remaining Herero land was expropriated and offered to white farmers. Karibib was declared a municipality in 1909, and Eduard Hälbich was its mayor.

Historic Buildings

One of Karibib's oldest buildings is the Roesemannhaus (''Roesemann's house''), erected 1900 shortly after the town was founded. Other historic structures are the Wollhaus (''Wool house''), erected in 1900 from local marble, the

Railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

building (1901), the Kaiserbrunnen (''Emperor fountain'', 1906-1908), and the Christ Church (1910).

Economy and Infrastructure

The Navachab Gold Mine owned by QKR Namibia is located 10 km from Karibib town. The mine is the major tax payer, employer and property owner of the town, providing more than 750 jobs and owning 240 residential properties. In 2008, proposals surfaced for a new cement works.

Transport

Karibib is situated on the B2 national road (

–

Okahandja Okahandja is a city of 24,100 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the ...

) close to the branch-off of the C33 to

Otjiwarongo Otjiwarongo ( hz, beautiful place) is a city of 28,000 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia. It is the district capital of the Otjiwarongo electoral constituency and also the capital of Otjozondjupa. Otjiwarongo is situated in c ...

. About 1,000 trucks per day pass the town. Karibib is connected to the TransNamib railway network; Karibib Railway Station is situated downtown. The next station to the west is

Kranzberg Kranzberg is a municipality in the district of Freising in Bavaria in Germany. At Bernstorf, a part within the municipality of Kranzberg, a Bronze Age fortification was found in 1904 by local historian Josef Wenzl. It was dated at around 136 ...

, the junction for the branch railways to Tsumeb and

Grootfontein , nickname = , settlement_type = City , motto = Fons Vitæ , image_skyline = Grootfontein grass.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = , image_flag = , flag_si ...

from the line to the capital

. North of the town is the location of the headquarters of the Namibian Air Force at the

Karibib Air Base Karibib Air Force Base is an air base near the central Namibian town of Karibib. Since 2016, the headquarters of the Namibian Air Force The Namibian Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the Namibian Defence Force. It was commissioned o ...

, housing the Command of the Air Force. The air base has an asphalt runway, parallel paved taxiways and apron. The history of Karibib Airport goes back to pre-independence when it was used by the South African Air Force.

Politics

Karibib was downgraded from municipal to town status in 2010. It is governed by a town council that has seven seats. In the 2010 local authority election in Karibib, a total of 990 votes were cast.

SWAPO The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...

won with approximately 60% of the vote. Of the three other parties seeking votes in the election, United Democratic Front (UDF) received approximately 31% of the vote, followed by RDP (9%) and the

Congress of Democrats The Congress of Democrats (CoD) is a Namibian opposition party without representation in the National Assembly and led by Ben Ulenga. It was established in 1999, prior to that year's general elections, and started off with a number of notabl ...

, which, despite being on the ballot, did not receive a vote. SWAPO also won the 2015 local authority elections, gaining 4 seats (653 votes). 2 seats went to the UDF (223 votes), and the remaining seat was won by the local Karibib Residents Association (KRA) that gained 128 votes. In the 2020 local authority election SWAPO won again by a large margin but lost the majority of seats in the town council. SWAPO obtained 461 votes and gained three seats. One seat each went to the UDF (175 votes), the

Independent Patriots for Change The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) is a political party in Namibia. It was founded by Panduleni Itula in August 2020. As an independent presidential candidate in the November 2019 election, Itula won the best result of a losing candid ...

(IPC, newly formed in August 2020, 94 votes), the

Landless People's Movement The Landless People's Movement was an independent social movement in South Africa. It consisted of rural people and people living in shack settlements in cities. The Landless People's Movement boycotted parliamentary elections and had a histor ...

(LPM, registered in 2018, 80 votes) and the KRA (68 votes).

Education

Schooling in Karibib started as a private missionary enterprise in 1902. From 1907 the Deutsche Schule Karibib (german: German School Karibib, also: Privatschule Karibib) operated in town, first as a government school of Imperial Germany, and after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

as private school supported by German government. In 1965 it had 13 teachers and 53 learners. When competition from other German schools eroded its pupil base, the school closed down in 1986. The campus is currently leased to the similarly named but unrelated Karibib Private School. Karibib is also home to Karibib Junior Secondary School and Ebenhaeser Primary School, situated in the Usab Location. Karibib Junior Secondary School emerged from Ebenhaeser Primary School when the latter was started offering classes beyond grade 7. The Navachab gold mine in Karibib has played a major role in developing the school. Karibib Junior Secondary School is situated in town and offers grade 8 to Grade 10.

Sport

Karibib is home to Usab Stadium.Arrows, United Stars match postponed
The Namibian, 30 October 2009 There is a golf course at the Klippenberg Country Club.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Erongo Region Towns in Namibia 1900 establishments in German South West Africa Populated places established in 1900