Outapi

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Outapi, also known as Outapi wa Nakafingo na Temba, Ombalantu or Uutapi, is a town in northern Namibia near the border with Angola. It is the capital of Omusati Region and the Outapi electoral constituency, about 90 km northwest of Oshakati. In 2023, about 13,664 people lived there and the main language is Oshiwambo. The town covers about 27.7 square kilometers and has a warm semi-arid climate, with average rainfall around 440 mm per year (though some years are wetter, like 2010/2011).

Outapi is developing rapidly, especially in the south, with new government buildings and shops. It has several schools, a community hall, a hospital, a police station, and two open markets (one at the Ombalantu baobab tree and another at Onhimbu), plus a tourist lodge. A notable site is the Omukwa Ombalantu baobab tree, located in a former South African Army base; its hollow trunk has served as a post office, chapel, and coffee shop, and now houses a craft shop.

The town hosts the Olufuko Festival each year since 2012, a festival that combines a business expo with cultural celebrations and features a girl-to-woman initiation ceremony. Sam Nujoma, Namibia’s first president, is the festival’s patron.

Outapi is governed by a seven-member town council. Omusati is a SWAPO stronghold; in 2015 SWAPO won all seats, and in 2020 SWAPO won five seats (721 votes) while the IPC won two seats (357 votes). The mayor is Selma Asino.