Gibeon (Namibia)
Encyclopedia
Gibeon is a village and a constituency
in the Hardap Region
region of Namibia
. In the 2009 presidential election, 3669 people voted in the Gibeon constituency. The place normally receives an annual average rainfall of 148 millimetres (5.8 in), although in the 2010/2011 rainy season 494 millimetres (19.4 in) were measured.
is located in the village. The station is a stop on the TransNamib Railway
. It is also home to a public sports stadium. The stadium was built in 1986 and fell into disrepair by 1993. In 2003, the Ministry of Sport of Namibia budgeted N$ 450,000 for repairs and awarded part of the public tender to Namibia Renovations, but the company disappeared days after winning the tender and their whereabouts could not be confirmed. As of December 2007, none of the repairs been completed. When the stadium was operational, it was known for its "excellent" gravel playing surface, which attracted teams from larger towns in southern Namibia.
Gibeon is known for the Gibeon meteorite
that crashed over a 275 km long and 100 km wide area in prehistoric times. It is an iron meteorite
belonging to the chemical group IVA
Gibeon meteorites are made of an iron
-nickel
alloy, but contain also cobalt
and phosphorus
. The crystalline structure of this meteorite is a classic example of fine octahedrite
and the Widmanstatten pattern
aesthetically appreciated both by collectors and jewel designers.
(1941–2010) was the first Mayor of Gibeon as well as prominent political activist. In the 2004 and 2009 national elections, Gibeon has given the ruling SWAPO party significantly less support than the national percentage, though SWAPO was still the highest vote getter in both elections.
received 29.3% of the vote and the DTA received 9.3%. Of the remaining 6 parties, the UDF
received 3%, the NUDO
received 2.1%, the RP
received 1.8%. The MAG
, NDMC and SWANU combined to receive the remaining 2.3%.
's candidacy but significantly less than the national average; nationally, SWAPO's Pohamba received 76.4%, but in Gibeon he received only 46.1% of the 3,669 total votes. The closest candidate was Hidipo Hamutenya
of RDP
, who received 20% of Gibeon's votes, above his national vote percentage of 11.1%. The next closest candidate was Frans Migub /Goagoseb
of the NDMC, who received 207 votes in the constituency (5.6%). Gibeon's support for /Goagoseb equaled nearly 12% of the candidate's total support nationally (207 of 1,760 total votes). David Isaacs of the DP
received 205 votes (5.6% in the constituency) and around 9% of the national vote total (205 of 1,859 nationally). Henk Mudge
of the RP
(5.4%), Katuutire Kaura
of DTA (5%) and Ben Ulenga
of COD (3.7%) received a higher percentage of votes in Gibeon than their national averages.
Constituencies of Namibia
Each of the 13 regions in Namibia are further subdivided into electoral constituencies. The number and size of each constituency varies with the size and population of each region. There are currently 107 constituencies in Namibia...
in the Hardap Region
Hardap Region
Hardap is one of the thirteen regions of Namibia. It is home to the Hardap Dam.Hardap stretches the entire width of Namibia, from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to Namibia's eastern national border. In the northeast, it borders the Kgalagadi District of Botswana, and in the southeast, it borders...
region of 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...
. In the 2009 presidential election, 3669 people voted in the Gibeon constituency. The place normally receives an annual average rainfall of 148 millimetres (5.8 in), although in the 2010/2011 rainy season 494 millimetres (19.4 in) were measured.
Buildings and structures
Gibeon Railway StationGibeon Railway Station
Gibeon Railway Station is a railway station serving the town of Gibeon in Namibia. It is part of the TransNamib Railway, and is located along the Windhoek to Upington line that connects Namibia with South Africa....
is located in the village. The station is a stop on the TransNamib Railway
TransNamib
TransNamib is the railway parastatal of Namibia. Organised as a holding company, it provides freight by rail and road as well as passenger services. Its administration is located in Windhoek.-History:...
. It is also home to a public sports stadium. The stadium was built in 1986 and fell into disrepair by 1993. In 2003, the Ministry of Sport of Namibia budgeted N$ 450,000 for repairs and awarded part of the public tender to Namibia Renovations, but the company disappeared days after winning the tender and their whereabouts could not be confirmed. As of December 2007, none of the repairs been completed. When the stadium was operational, it was known for its "excellent" gravel playing surface, which attracted teams from larger towns in southern Namibia.
Meteorite
Gibeon is known for the Gibeon meteorite
Gibeon (meteorite)
Gibeon is a meteorite that fell in prehistoric times in Namibia. It was named after the nearest town: Gibeon, Namibia.-History:The meteorite was discovered by the Nama people and used by them to make tools and weapons....
that crashed over a 275 km long and 100 km wide area in prehistoric times. It is an iron meteorite
Iron meteorite
Iron meteorites are meteorites that consist overwhelmingly of nickel-iron alloys. The metal taken from these meteorites is known as meteoric iron and was one of the earliest sources of usable iron available to humans.-Occurrence:...
belonging to the chemical group IVA
Gibeon meteorites are made of an iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
-nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
alloy, but contain also cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
and phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
. The crystalline structure of this meteorite is a classic example of fine octahedrite
Octahedrite
Octahedrites are a class of iron meteorites within the structural classification. They are the most common class of iron meteorites.They are composed primarily of the nickel-iron alloys: taenite - high nickel content, and kamacite - low nickel content....
and the Widmanstatten pattern
Widmanstätten pattern
Widmanstätten patterns, also called Thomson structures, are unique figures of long nickel-iron crystals, found in the octahedrite iron meteorites and some pallasites. They consist of a fine interleaving of kamacite and taenite bands or ribbons called lamellæ...
aesthetically appreciated both by collectors and jewel designers.
Politics
Johannes IsaaksJohannes Isaaks
Johannes Isaaks was a Namibian teacher, politician and community activist. He was the first Mayor of Gibeon. He also taught at a number of prominent schools prior to and after independence.-References:...
(1941–2010) was the first Mayor of Gibeon as well as prominent political activist. In the 2004 and 2009 national elections, Gibeon has given the ruling SWAPO party significantly less support than the national percentage, though SWAPO was still the highest vote getter in both elections.
2004 National Assembly election
In the 2004 National Assembly election, 4,956 residents of Gibeon constituency voted; SWAPO received 50.7% of Gibeon's votes, compared to 76.1% nationally. The CODCongress of Democrats
The Congress of Democrats is a political party in Namibia, led by Ben Ulenga. It is an opposition party represented in the National Assembly.The party is an observer of the Socialist International.- 2004 elections :...
received 29.3% of the vote and the DTA received 9.3%. Of the remaining 6 parties, the UDF
United Democratic Front (Namibia)
The United Democratic Front is a political party in Namibia. Justus Garoëb is the party's leader.-1989:The UDF received 37,874 votes in the 1989 election, which elected members to the Constituent Assembly of Namibia. The Constituent Assembly elected the first President and wrote Namibia's...
received 3%, the NUDO
National Unity Democratic Organisation
The National Unity Democratic Organisation is a political party in Namibia that is based among the Herero. NUDO was part of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance from the Turnhalle Constitutional Conference of the 1970s until it withdrew in September 2003, accusing the DTA of failing to work for...
received 2.1%, the RP
Republican Party (Namibia)
The Republican Party was a political party in Namibia, based among the white minority. Henk Mudge is its President and its sole representative in the National Assembly. Prior to the 2004 parliamentary election, the Republican Party was part of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance . It was revived as...
received 1.8%. The MAG
Monitor Action Group
The Monitor Action Group is a political party in Namibia. The party is based among conservative White Namibians, with most of the top leadership having served in the government of apartheid South West Africa...
, NDMC and SWANU combined to receive the remaining 2.3%.
2009 Presidential election
In the 2009 presidential election, voter participation declined to 3,669, a 26% drop from the previous national election. Gibeon voters supported incumbent President Hifikepunye PohambaHifikepunye Pohamba
Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba is the second and current President of Namibia. He won the 2004 and 2009 presidential elections overwhelmingly as the candidate of the South West Africa People's Organisation ruling party, taking office in March 2005. He has also been the President of SWAPO since...
's candidacy but significantly less than the national average; nationally, SWAPO's Pohamba received 76.4%, but in Gibeon he received only 46.1% of the 3,669 total votes. The closest candidate was Hidipo Hamutenya
Hidipo Hamutenya
Hidipo L. Hamutenya is a Namibian politician. A long-time leading member of the South West Africa People's Organization , Hamutenya was a member of the Cabinet of Namibia from independence in 1990 to 2004...
of RDP
Rally for Democracy and Progress (Namibia)
The Rally for Democracy and Progress is an opposition political party in Namibia. It was launched on November 17 2007 under the leadership of Hidipo Hamutenya and Jesaya Nyamu, both former leading members of the ruling SWAPO party and cabinet ministers. Hamutenya had unsuccessfully sought the SWAPO...
, who received 20% of Gibeon's votes, above his national vote percentage of 11.1%. The next closest candidate was Frans Migub /Goagoseb
Frans Migub /Goagoseb
Chief Frans Migub /Goagoseb is a Namibian politician and Damara leader. He is the party leader of the Namibian Democratic Movement for Change and the party's candidate for President in the 2009 general election...
of the NDMC, who received 207 votes in the constituency (5.6%). Gibeon's support for /Goagoseb equaled nearly 12% of the candidate's total support nationally (207 of 1,760 total votes). David Isaacs of the DP
Democratic Party of Namibia
The Democratic Party of Namibia is a political party in Namibia, launched in July 2008 at Keetmanshoop.Although it constitutes an initiative of the Nama people, the party plans to focus on all ethnic minorities in Namibia. It positions itself in clear opposition to SWAPO, the currently ruling party...
received 205 votes (5.6% in the constituency) and around 9% of the national vote total (205 of 1,859 nationally). Henk Mudge
Henk Mudge
Henk Mudge is a Namibian former politician. He is the former President of the Republican Party and formerly the party's only member in the National Assembly. He was replaced in the National Assembly by Clara Gowases....
of the RP
Republican Party (Namibia)
The Republican Party was a political party in Namibia, based among the white minority. Henk Mudge is its President and its sole representative in the National Assembly. Prior to the 2004 parliamentary election, the Republican Party was part of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance . It was revived as...
(5.4%), Katuutire Kaura
Katuutire Kaura
Katuutire Kaura is a Namibian politician. He has been President of the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance since 1998 and was Leader of the Official Opposition from 2000 to 2005.Kaura was born in Ombujondjupa, Otjozondjupa Region...
of DTA (5%) and Ben Ulenga
Ben Ulenga
Benjamin Ulenga is a Namibian politician. A member of the National Assembly of Namibia, he is the President of the Congress of Democrats , an opposition political party....
of COD (3.7%) received a higher percentage of votes in Gibeon than their national averages.
Notable residents
- Hendrik WitbooiHendrik Witbooi (politician)Reverend Hendrik H. Witbooi was a Namibian politician and traditional chieftain. A member of SWAPO from 1976 until his death, Witbooi brought with him several clans of Namaqua into the liberation organization...
, politician - Lucia WitbooiLucia WitbooiLucia Witbooi is a Namibian politician. A member of SWAPO, Witbooi was elected to the Namibia's National Assembly in the 2009 general election. Prior to entering the National Assembly, Witbooi was a teacher in Gibeon, Hardap Region...
, politician and schoolteacher - Solomon WitbooiSolomon WitbooiSolomon Witbooi is a Namibian politician and diplomat. A native of Gibeon in the central Hardap Region, Witbooi was elected to represent his hometown in the Hardap Regional Council. In April 2007, he was appointed to replace NDF Commander Martin Shalli as the Namibian High Commissioner to...
, ambassador to ZambiaZambiaZambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....