Berseba
Encyclopedia
Berseba is a village in the Karas Region
of southern Namibia
and the district capital of the Berseba electoral constituency
. It is situated 100 km (62.1 mi) north-west of Keetmanshoop
near the Brukkaros Mountain
, a famous tourist destination.
Samuel Hahn founded the missionary station and gave it a biblically inspired name. In 1857 a church was built.
name ǃAutsawises, were a group of Khoi herder clans from the Cape Province
, driven across the Orange River
by encroaching European settlers and the law enforcement of the Dutch East India Company
. They arrived in the area of Berseba in 1812. In 1850 their patriarch Paul Goliath established himself as independent leader of this community that subsequently became known as the Berseba Orlam (Nama: ǀHai-ǀkhaua).
Since then chieftain
ship of the Berseba Orlam has been held by the Goliath and Isaak clans who often were in dispute about the succession. In the 1960s the two clans split over the leadership issue and only reunited in April 2010. , Kaptein Johannes Isaak is the traditional leader of the ǀHai-ǀkhaua.
in Namibia was found in this area in 1898, and oil explorations were conducted in 1900 and 1929, though neither led to substantial industrial development. The settlement is riddled with poverty, substance abuse, and crime. It features a secondary school, the Ecumenical Community School, which was in 2010 declared "unfit to serve as an educational institution" and has since been abandoned.
Berseba is connected by road to Tses
(MR98), Bethanie (D3901 and D3905), Asab
(D3903), Helmeringhausen
(D554) and Keetmanshoop (D531), as well as to the Brukkaros tourist site (D3904).
, Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) defeated SWAPO 221 votes to 200. No other party participated in the election for the Berseba Village Council.
Karas Region
The Karas Region is the southernmost region of Namibia. The name assigned to the region reflects the prominence of the Karas mountain range in its southern part...
of southern Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
and the district capital of the Berseba electoral constituency
Berseba Constituency
Berseba is a constituency in the Karas Region of Namibia. Its population is 9,195, the main settlement is Berseba. The first diamonds in Namibia were found in this area in 1898, while oil was found in 1929...
. It is situated 100 km (62.1 mi) north-west of Keetmanshoop
Keetmanshoop
Keetmanshoop is a city in Karas Region, southern Namibia, lying on the Trans-Namib Railway from Windhoek to Upington in South Africa. It is named after Johann Keetman, a German industrialist and founder of the city....
near the Brukkaros Mountain
Brukkaros Mountain
Brukkaros Mountain is a mountain in Karas Region, Namibia. Measuring 1,590 metres at its peak, Brukarros is located about 15 kilometres northeast of the primarily Nama community of Berseba. It is over 600 metres taller than the surrounding area....
, a famous tourist destination.
History
The foundation of Berseba is recorded on 17 October 1850 when Rhenish MissionaryRhenish Missionary Society
The Rhenish Missionary Society was one of the largest missionary societies in Germany. Formed from smaller missions founded as far back as 1799, the Society was amalgamated on 23 September 1828, and its first missionaries were ordained and sent off to South Africa by the end of the year.The...
Samuel Hahn founded the missionary station and gave it a biblically inspired name. In 1857 a church was built.
People
The first people to permanently settle at this place, then only known under its KhoikhoiKhoikhoi
The Khoikhoi or Khoi, in standardised Khoekhoe/Nama orthography spelled Khoekhoe, are a historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group, the native people of southwestern Africa, closely related to the Bushmen . They had lived in southern Africa since the 5th century AD...
name ǃAutsawises, were a group of Khoi herder clans from the Cape Province
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
, driven across the Orange River
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
by encroaching European settlers and the law enforcement of the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
. They arrived in the area of Berseba in 1812. In 1850 their patriarch Paul Goliath established himself as independent leader of this community that subsequently became known as the Berseba Orlam (Nama: ǀHai-ǀkhaua).
Since then chieftain
Chieftain
Chieftain may refer to:The leader or head of a group:* a tribal chief or a village head.* a member of the 'House of chiefs'.* a captain, to which 'chieftain' is etymologically related.* Clan chief, the head of a Scottish clan....
ship of the Berseba Orlam has been held by the Goliath and Isaak clans who often were in dispute about the succession. In the 1960s the two clans split over the leadership issue and only reunited in April 2010. , Kaptein Johannes Isaak is the traditional leader of the ǀHai-ǀkhaua.
Development and Infrastructure
The first diamondDiamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
in Namibia was found in this area in 1898, and oil explorations were conducted in 1900 and 1929, though neither led to substantial industrial development. The settlement is riddled with poverty, substance abuse, and crime. It features a secondary school, the Ecumenical Community School, which was in 2010 declared "unfit to serve as an educational institution" and has since been abandoned.
Berseba is connected by road to Tses
Tses
Tses is a village in Karas Region, Namibia with a population of approximately 1000; probably 1000 more live in the surrounding semi-desert farming hinterland. It is situated one kilometre off the main B1 highway from Windhoek to Cape Town and Johannesburg, opposite the turning to Berseba and...
(MR98), Bethanie (D3901 and D3905), Asab
Asab
Asab is a settlement in the Karas Region of southern Namibia. It is situated on the B1 national road about halfway between Mariental and Keetmanshoop. east of Asab is the Mukurob rock pinnacle, a tourist attraction that collapsed in 1988....
(D3903), Helmeringhausen
Helmeringhausen
Helmeringhausen is a settlement in southern Namibia in the Berseba Constituency in the Karas Region. It is located 200 km northeast of Lüderitz and 500 km south of Windhoek on the crossing of the national roads C14 and C13 , and the road D414 .Helmeringhausen does not have an official governing...
(D554) and Keetmanshoop (D531), as well as to the Brukkaros tourist site (D3904).
Politics
Berseba is one of a few local authorities in Namibia where an opposition party obtained more votes for the village council than SWAPO. In the 2010 local authority electionNamibian local and regional elections, 2010
Namibia held elections for their local and regional councils on 26 and 27 November 2010. The terms of regional councillors and local authority representatives were originally set to expire in 2009...
, Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) defeated SWAPO 221 votes to 200. No other party participated in the election for the Berseba Village Council.