Omaheke
| Omaheke Region | |
|---|---|
| Region | |
 Location of the Omaheke Region in Namibia |
|
| Country | Namibia |
| Capital | Gobabis |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Festus Ueitele |
| Area | |
| • Total | 84,981 km2 (32,811 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 70,800 |
| • Density | 0.83/km2 (2.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | South African Standard Time: UTC+1 |
Omaheke is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Gobabis. It lies on the eastern border of Namibia and is the Western extension of the Kalahari desert. The name Omaheke is the Herero word for Sandveld.
A large part of this region is known as the Sandveld. The northeastern part of the region is still very much wilderness.
Anthropologically, almost the entire Ovambanderu and Gobabis-Ju/wa ethnic groups reside in the region. Furthermore, it is a rich cultural area for Herero, Damara-Nama, Tswana, Afrikaner and German, with a sprinkling of northerners.
A notable event is the annual Meat Festival.
On 11 August 1904, a German armed force with artillery and machine guns, which had encircled the Herero who had fled to the Waterberg in Namibia, attacked and forced the survivors to flee to the Omaheke desert, where large numbers died. Those who tried to emerge from the desert were killed by German patrols along the perimeter of the Omaheke. This was the turning point in the Herero and Namaqua Genocide.
Laura McLeod-Katjirua of SWAPO was Governor of Omaheke Region from 2001 to 2012, when she was transferred to the same position at Khomas Region. Festus Ueitele was appointed as her successor in April 2013.
The region comprises seven constituencies Upon independence of Namibia, Hereroland East was absorbed into the region.:
In the 2004 presidential election, the Omaheke Region supported SWAPO's Hifikepunye Pohamba with 13,005 votes (46%) but the Ohangwena Region native did not win a majority of the votes in the region. National Unity Democratic Organisation (NUDO)'s Kuaima Riruako, paramount chief of the Herero people, received over 7,000 votes (25%), and the DTA's Katuutire Kaura received over 3,700 votes (13%). Only in the much more populated Khomas Region and neighboring Otjozondjupa Region did Riruako gain more votes and in no other region did NUDO's candidate gain a higher percentage of the votes.
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Wikipedia