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The inaugural Beauty Business Exhibition was held on Saturday, 2 August and Sunday, 3 August 2025 at the O’Zodiac Star Pension in Outapi with over 200 attendees and 22 exhibitors gathered to witness a convergence of entrepreneurship, empowerment, and celebration. People travelled from all over the country including Walvis Bay,

ECN registers 514 voters in Outapi by-election drive NBC Online Wed, 07/30/2025 - 18:33

The town of Outapi in the Omusati Region is set to host its first ever Beauty Business Exhibition on Saturday, 2 August and Sunday, 3 August 2025 at the O’Zodiac Star Pension Hotel. The exhibition aims to spotlight the growing beauty, spa, and wellness industry while creating a powerful platform

Outapi has traditionally been the centre of the Aambalantu and was formerly also known as Ombalantu, a name that has been interpreted to mean “kingdom of the people”. It has also been suggested that the name is a combination of ombala and aantu meaning the “people’s palace”. The origin of the name Outapi can be traced back to a raid carried out by the Aakwambi against the Aambalantu. During the raid one of the female members of the royal family called out words that can be translated as “Where is my bow?” or “Bring my bow!” Ombalantu Baobab The landmark Ombalantu Baobab is undoubtedly the best-known baobab in the north of the country and has played a major role in the history of the Aambalantu. The Ombalantu Baobab consists of six stems and one false stem and the oldest part is between 700 and 750 years old. It has a height of 20.4 metres and a circumference of 24.4 metres. The branches of the ancient tree, which is between 700 and 750 years old, served as a lookout post from which to spot attackers in days gone by. An opening of about two metres high and one metre wide provides access to the hollow trunk that can hold about 20 people. The cavity was used as a storage place and became the first post office in Outapi in 1940, enabling contract workers to send letters, parcels and money to their families in the north. The tree later became the centrepiece of a base of the South African military. A stone-built pulpit, cross and two rows of benches in the hollow trunk are reminders of its use as a chapel during this period. A much larger but often overlooked monumental baobab is situated a short distance to the south of the Outapi Town Hotel in a private property. With a height of 22 metres and a circumference of 30.6 metres, this baobab is around 800 years old. Plan soldiers grave The graveyard to people’s Liberation Army of Namibia (Plan) soldiers is a reminder of the pitched battles that broke out in the area on 1 April 1989, the day on which Resolution 435 was implemented. A group of Plan soldiers was celebrating the occasion at a traditional homestead of a community member at Onhokolo village, about 25 kilometres from Outapi. When their presence became known to the South West African Police, an attack was launched with armoured vehicles and helicopters from the east and northwest. The windy conditions prevented the fighters from hearing the approaching armed forces and 20 Plan soldiers were shot dead, while one managed to escape. Seven Plan soldiers were killed at Okafitu kaKamba, northeast of Outapi, in another attack. Their bodies were brought to the military base and buried in a mass grave with the combatants killed at Onhokolo. The site was declared a national heritage place in September 2011. Onelungo ponds Onelungo Ponds, just outside the boundaries of Outapi, occupy a very special place in the culture of the Aambalantu. It was believed that the ponds were home to a supreme being and various traditional rituals were performed here. The Onelungo Ponds and other similar ponds in the area are the legacy of King Kamhaku who had the ponds built by the Aambalantu to store water during good rainy seasons. Local folklore has it that if someone fetched water from the ponds without performing the required ritual, the basket would remain empty, or the water would turn red. According to another legend, people could be heard screaming if the rituals were not performed. Fish breed in the ponds and the fishing season could only start once a ritual had been performed. According to tradition, only one fish could initially be caught and had to be taken to the king’s palace where it was roasted. The fishing season could commence once the roasted fish had been thrown back into the pond. Rituals also had to be performed before any of the eenyandi fruits of the Omwandi trees could be harvested. The Onelungo Ponds were declared a national heritage place in 2011. It is situated on communal land. Olufuko festival The first Olufuko Festival was hosted by the Outapi Town Council in September 2012 to revive interest in the ceremony and to attract visitors to the Omusati region. The festival is billed as a celebration of traditional culture, arts and crafts and also provides an opportunity for businesses to showcase their products and services. The post Outapi – Where is my bow? appeared first on The Namibian.

Allexer Namundjebo The Outapi Town Council has taken Tobias Haimbodi, a resident of Omukoko village near Outapi, to court over a building he constructed on what the council says is municipal land.  Haimbodi says the council has not compensated his family for the land, which is part of the town’s expansion plan. “In normal circumstances, when a town expands, the residents living on that land are compensated.  In this case, that has never happened,” Haimbodi told Observer. He also accused the council of changing the location’s name to gain a legal advantage.  “They’re now calling our place Oukwa-wananyanga Extension 11. That’s a newly established shantytown next to our house. They’re doing this deliberately to score points in court,” he said. A letter dated 22 September 2024 from Outapi Town Council CEO Ananias Nashilongo states that Haimbodi constructed a structure without council approval.  “We have observed an illegal construction on the land where your mahangu field is located. This was done without council approval,” the letter said.  It added that a council official verbally told Haimbodi on 30 August 2023 to stop building, but he did not comply. The council had demanded that Haimbodi remove the structure at cost and pay an illegal construction fee of N$5,000 by 30 November 2024. Haimbodi said the council marked his family land in 2017 without notice or consultation.  “They deployed a team to mark our property without consulting us. This disturbed my peace and affected my health, causing high blood pressure due to constant stress from their office,” he said. He insists the council never legally acquired or compensated for the land. “They continue to dictate what should happen as if they’ve compensated us already. That can’t continue,” he added. Haimbodi also claims the council has started allocating plots on their land without consulting the Omukoko residents.  Letters show the community demands meetings in Omukoko, not Outapi.  “The residents feel disrespected being summoned to town when we have a hallowed tree where our village meetings are traditionally held. The town council is the one seeking services from us, not the other way around,” the letter said. Efforts to get comments from CEO Mateus Nashilongo and Mayor Selma Asino failed. Questions sent last week were acknowledged but remain unanswered.  These sought clarity on whether residents were formally notified about the land inclusion, if compensation was paid, and if plots were sold without consent.  The inquiry also asked about legal action against residents refusing demolition. Affirmative Repositioning activist Shiweva Petrus called the issue “corruption in plain sight”.  He said town council employees force poor people off their land without compensation, allowing money to end up in their pockets.  Petrus alleged that several council employees own multiple plots in Outapi.  “We are ready as community activists to fight for justice. These Namibians are being harassed daily, and we won’t rest until justice is served,” he said. This case is among many where town councils are accused of evicting residents or acquiring communal land without fair compensation.  Similar claims have arisen in Ehenye, Ongwediva, Okahao, Helao Nafidi, Rundu, Katima Mulilo, and Omuthiya.

Niël Terblanché The Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) has announced steady progress on the N$141.8 million expansion and upgrade of the Outapi Water Treatment Plant (WTP). The project aims to meet the increasing water needs of Outapi Town and surrounding communities in the Omusati Region. NamWater’s spokesperson, Lot Ndamanomhata, said in a statement on Monday that work has already started and is moving forward. “We are pleased to share that progress is moving steadily and visible work is taking shape,” he said. He added that the project was launched to meet the growing water needs of the region. The existing plant, commissioned in 2001, has served as a key water source for over two decades. With Outapi’s rapid urbanisation and population growth, the plant has reached its capacity limits. Ndamanomhata said the upgrade will more than double the plant’s capacity from 180 cubic metres per hour to 438 cubic metres per hour. The expansion aims to ensure a reliable and sustainable water supply for the future. He said the project includes several improvements, such as increased water capacity, enhanced water quality to meet Namibia’s New Water Quality Standards, and support for regional growth by providing clean water to households, businesses, and industries. The construction is being carried out by a joint venture between China Jiangxi International and Homefin Properties, combining international experience with local expertise. The project is expected to be completed within 16 months. At the official launch of the project last year, the former Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, said the government is committed to providing safe, reliable, and equitable access to water for all Namibians. He said safe drinking water is fundamental to public health and that the upgraded plant will feature state-of-the-art filtration and purification systems to meet Namibia’s new water quality standards. Ndamanomhata said the initiative forms part of NamWater’s broader plan to improve water infrastructure across the country. He highlighted similar projects, including the recent N$665 million Rundu Water Treatment Plant extension, launched with the African Development Bank, to meet the anticipated water demand by 2037.

 As part of its “Think Namibia” campaign and its ‘Aquaponics-Systems for Educational Institutions to Improve Food Security’, the Hanns Seidel Foundation recently handed-over a state-of-the-art aquaponics system to the Vocational Training School at Development Aid from People for People (DAPP) Namibia near Outapi in the Omusati region.  The handover took place on 18 March 2025 with the project’s key partners, the Embassy of Finland to Namibia and Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL). With the support of these partners the Hanns Seidel Foundation is implementing a project aimed at contributing to knowledge improvement, skills training, and capacity development about climate smart agricultural practices to strengthen food security and to improve livelihoods in selected rural and urban communities in Namibia.  With financial support from the Finnish embassy’s Funds for Local Cooperation (FLC) programme, HSF was able to build on a previous project pilot phase and to revisit the demo designs and revive the aquaponics training material on the lessons learnt. The main project scope was aimed at setting up three new systems in three urban and peri-urban set ups or training centres in disadvantaged communities with a resilient, fully-fledged aquaponics demo systems and doing in-house training of the users.  The latest addition of aquaponics demo systems was awarded and now handed over to the Vocational Training School at DAPP  Namibia near Outapi in the Omusati region.  The DAPP Vocational Training School is accredited by the Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA) and is registered with the Namibian Training Authority (NTA). Currently, the school offers training in agriculture up to NQA-level 3, but with changes to the curriculum and infrastructure, including the aquaponics-system, the VTS will be upgraded to NQA-level 5.  Excited and convinced about the benefit of such an aquaponics systems to further advancing local communities, Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) came on board to further support the aquaponics project for another three years.  Franklin Angermund, the NBL’s Sustainability and Public Affairs Manager, commended the project and the new system at DAPP: “We remain steadfast in caring for our people and planet. Our Brew a Better World Sustainably initiatives focus on making a positive social impact by empowering the community with practical aquaponics systems and updated training materials to ensure the students and staff can independently manage and sustain these systems. We brew a Better Namibia.” 

Le conseil municipal d'Outapi, l'administration des fonds routiers et l'autorité routière ont uni leurs forces en signant un accord de mous de deux ans pour s'améliorer ...

A CASE of rape was reported to the police at Outapi, Omusati Region, on Friday after the parents of a 14-year-old girl discovered that she...

Maria David MINISTER of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Calle Schlettwein has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing safe, reliable, and equitable access to water for all Namibians, regardless of location or socio-economic status.