ABOUT US

Otjozondjupa is the fourth largest region in the country with a total surface area of 105 460 km², representing about 7.8% of the total area of Namibia. The Region is bordering Kavango Region on the north, Oshikoto Region in the north-west, Kunene and Erongo regions in the west, Omaheke and Khomas regions in the south, and the Botswana border to the east.

The regional governance is the Otjozondjupa Regional Council established through Article 103 of the Namibia‟s Constitution as well as by an Act of Parliament, the Regional Council Act 22 of 1992. The mandates, functions and responsibilities of the Regional Council are entrenched in the Article 108 of the Constitution and in the Regional Council Act. There are seven constituencies in the region that are headed by the political office bearers in the form of Honorable Councilors. They are elected in terms of Electoral Act 1992 and hold office for a term of five years. They elect among themselves one Councilor to be the Chairperson of the Regional Council. Two members of the Regional Council are also elected to serve on the Management Committee of the Council.

Furthermore, the Region is also represented in Parliament by two Regional Councilors. There are a number of line ministries represented in the region; however only Maintenance and Education has been delegated to the Regional Council since April 2011. The Regional Council is also responsible to coordinate activities of all the line ministries present in the region to ensure that they contribute to the regional development ideology. The administrative head of the region is the Chief Regional Officer who is the overall accounting officer of the Regional Council.

• Grootfontein
• Otavi
• Okakarara
• Otjiwarongo
• Okahandja
• Omatako
• Tsumkwe

The region’s capital and largest town is Otjiwarongo. The region further contains the municipalities of Okahandja and Grootfontein and the towns Okakarara and Otavi. The Region is known for its tourist attractions and also for its farming activities

Location

Otjozondjupa region is situated at the central eastern of Namibia, bordering other Namibian regions. Otjozondjupa region is situated at the central eastern of Namibia, bordering other Namibian regions. In the east, Otjozondjupa borders the North-West District of Botswana. Domestically, it borders more regions than any other region of Namibia:

• Omaheke – southeast
• Khomas – south
• Erongo – southwest
• Kunene – northwest
• Oshikoto
• Kavango – northeast

Population

The 2011 Namibia Population and Housing Census results show that Otjozondjupa had a population of 143 903 people of which 70 001 were women and 73 902 were men. The population grew at an average annual rate of 0.6 per cent between 2001 and 2011.The population of Otjozondjupa increased from 102,536 in 1991 to 135,384 in 2001; and to 143,903 people by 2011. This upward trend was observed in the urban population, but the rural population declined between 2001 and 2011 Census years with populations of 80,373 and 66,432 respectively. According to the average annual population growth rate, the population size of Otjozondjupa region of the year is projected to be at 205, 448 people.

The Otjozondjupa region has five local authorities that are established through the Namibian Constitution, Chapter 12 and Local Authority Act 23 of 1992. These local authorities are: Otjiwarongo Municipality, Okahandja Municipality, Okakarara Town Council, Grootfontein Municipality and Otavi Town Council. These Local Authorities are governed in accordance with the Local Authority Act and each has a political head, the Mayor and Accounting officer responsible for administrative issues, the Chief Regional Officer.

The region does not have a single Village Council; however it has nine settlements namely:

• Coblenz,
• Gam,
• Kalkfeld,
• Okamatapati
• Okatjorru,
• Okondjatu,
• Okandjira
• Tsumkwe
• Kombat

These settlements are proclaimed and established through the Regional Council Act 22 of 1992. There are a lot of traditional authorities in the region, both those that are recognized by government in accordance with Traditional Authority Act 25 of 2000 and those that are in the pipeline to be recognized and those that are recognized by the communities they serves.

The functions and duties of these traditional authorities are spelled in the Traditional Authority Act Section 3 and some of their functions include: promotion of peace and welfare among the people, ensure that customary law are upheld and executed among others.

OTJOZONDJUPA REGION