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Karasburg

Coordinates:28°01′S18°45′E/ 28.017°S 18.750°E/-28.017; 18.750
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karasburg
ǀNomsoros
Kalkfontein
Town
Coat of arms of Karasburg
Coat of arms
Karasburg is located in Namibia
Karasburg
Karasburg
Location in Namibia
Coordinates:28°1′S18°45′E/ 28.017°S 18.750°E/-28.017; 18.750
CountryNamibia
RegionǁKaras Region
ConstituencyKarasburg Constituency
Government
• MayorErnest Willem Anderson[1]
Population
(2011)[2]
• Total4,401
Time zoneUTC+2(SAST)
ClimateBWh
This article containsclick symbolsfrom theKhoekhoe language.Without properrendering support,you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbols.

Karasburg(Khoekhoe:ǀNomsoros,old nameAfrikaans:Kalkfontein,literally "carst spring"[3]) is a town[4]with 4,000 inhabitants in theǁKaras Regionof southernNamibiaand the district capital of theKarasburg electoral constituency.It lies at the heart of the southern Namibian sheep farming industry.

Geography

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There are three main routes that lead into Karasburg. FromGrünauin the west,Onseepkansin the south and theB3national road that leads to theSouth Africanborder in the east. The town lies 710-kilometre (440 mi) south ofWindhoek,862-kilometre (536 mi) north ofCape Townand 110 km west of theAriamsvleiborder post. Karasburg is the only relatively large town south ofKeetmanshoopin Namibia.

Climate

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Karasburg has an extreme climate most of the year with temperatures rising well over 40 degrees Celsius in summer and dropping to sub-zero in winter.[3]Low rainfall is experienced in this region (annual average rainfall: 128 millimetres (5.0 in) at the Karasburg weather station),[5]the rainy season usually arriving in early January and leaving as late as early April.


Economy

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Karasburg's main industry issheep farming,but it is also an important truck stop for transport vehicles streaming intoNamibiafrom the South African border. The town supports several massive farms in the area. The town also has its own airstrip which is used mainly for light aircraft or as an emergency landing strip for larger planes.Karasburg Railway Stationwas once the busiest train station in Southern Namibia and is also the last significant stop beforeUpington.Bondels Dam,built in 1959, lies 7-kilometre (4.3 mi) west of the town.

Karasburg was downgraded from municipality to town status in 2010.[6]The town is riddled with unemployment as there is no industry, and the little rainfall hampers commercial farming.[3]

Politics

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Karasburg is governed by a town council that has seven seats.[7]

In the2010 local authority electionin Karasburg, a total of 808 votes were recorded.SWAPOwon with approximately 46% of the vote. Of the three other parties seeking votes in the election,Rally for Democracy and Progress (Namibia)(RDP) received approximately 33% of the vote, followed by theDemocratic Party of Namibia(DPN, 14%) and theDemocratic Turnhalle Alliance(DTA, 6%).[8]The resulting local council including three SWAPO members, three RDP members and one DPN member. The DPN'sCaroline Arendsewas elected mayor as the result of an alliance with SWAPO on 3 December 2010. However, the national Democratic Party condemned the alliance and called the swearing-in ceremony fraudulent.[9]On 8 December, Arendse was recalled from her position in the council and replaced with Ernest Willem Anderson.[1]

The2015 local authority electionwas also won by SWAPO which gained five seats (586 votes). The remaining two seats went to the DTA with 204 votes.[10]In the2020 local authority electiontheLandless People's Movement(LPM, a new party registered in 2018) won with 572 votes and gained four seats. SWAPO was the runner-up with 294 votes and two seats. The remaining council seat went to theIndependent Patriots for Change(IPC, an opposition party formed in August 2020) with 241 votes.[11]

Wildlife

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The Karasburg region hosts a variety of large to small game, ranging fromKuduandSpringboktoDuiker,Klipspringer,Steenbok,JackalandCaracal.Kuduare abundant among the 'koppies' and roam free, leaping over any fence that may come in their way, whereasSpringbokon the other hand are bound to single encampments, because they lack the suppleness and length to jump over fences.Caracalsare widely hunted down by farmers, because they prey on the lambs of sheep.Gemsbuckare also widely scattered across the region in addition toZebraandRed Hartebeest.

People from Karasburg

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References

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  1. ^abDPN recalls new mayorThe Namibian,8 December 2010
  2. ^"Table 4.2.2 Urban population by Census years (2001 and 2011)"(PDF).Namibia 2011 - Population and Housing Census Main Report.Namibia Statistics Agency. p. 39.Retrieved24 August2016.
  3. ^abcTitus, Hildegard (22 January 2016). "Quaint Karasburg".The Namibian.The Weekender supplement. p. 7.
  4. ^Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders on HIV/AIDS in AfricaArchived2008-11-21 at theWayback Machine
  5. ^Menges, Werner (26 May 2011)."Rainy season was one for the record books".The Namibian.Archived fromthe originalon 15 December 2011.
  6. ^Hartman, Adam (27 Aug 2010)."Town regrading a 'sad move'".The Namibian.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-03-17.
  7. ^"Know Your Local Authority".Election Watch.No. 3. Institute for Public Policy Research. 2015. p. 4.
  8. ^"Local Authority Election Results for Karasburg"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2011-07-17.Retrieved2011-01-22.
  9. ^Party to discipline newly elected mayorThe Namibian,7 December 2010
  10. ^"Local elections results".Electoral Commission of Namibia.28 November 2015. p. 3. Archived fromthe originalon 10 December 2015.
  11. ^"2020 Local Authority Elections Results and Allocation of Seats"(PDF).Electoral Commission of Namibia.29 November 2020. p. 7.Retrieved5 December2020.

28°01′S18°45′E/ 28.017°S 18.750°E/-28.017; 18.750

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