Karibib Constituency

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Karibib is a constituency in the Erongo Region of western Namibia with a population of 11,784. It lies on the Trans-Namib Railway, the Khan River and the B2 road. It is known for its aragonite marble quarries.

[edit] Overview

The town of Karibib is situated on the main road between Windhoek and Swakopmund and is best known for its gold mine. The earliest settlers in the Karibib district were missionary Johannes Rath and his family, who arrived in Otjimbingwe on 11 July 1849. Six years later, in 1855, rich copper deposits were found in the Khomas Highlands, and the Walwich Bay Mining Company was founded in Cape Town, with its offices in Otjimbingwe, to exploit the deposits at the Matchless Mine, which then were transported from Otjimbingwe to the port at Walvis Bay. By 1860, the copper deposits were yielding too little for further mining activities, and subsequently the mine closed down and sold its buildings in Otjimbingwe to Charles Andersson for £1500

Originally, Karibib was nothing but an unknown waterhole belonging to the Hereros. The waterhole and the surrounding 200 square kilometres was later sold by treaty by the Herero headman of Otjimbingwe to Mr Eduard Hälbich of Otjimbingwe. In addition to the settlement of debt, Zeraua received two ox-wagons with 36 oxen and some other compensation in consumable and clothing.

In 1899 Karibib received a second waterhole to cater for increased needs. After the railway reached Jakkalswater, a military outpost of 4 soldiers was opened in Karibib in 1899 to safeguard the approaching railway. In 1900, the town's population was only 10, and further developments occurred at the expense of Otjimbingwe, as the ox-wagons which used to travel via Otjimbingwe to Swakopmund, now travelled via Karibib. By the time the railway from Swakopmund to Windhoek had reached Karibib on 30 May 1900, the government moved the district council from Otjimbingwe to Karibib. During these years, the Karibib Constituency grew fast, as Zeraua sold off two-thirds of his traditional land before 1902 to white settlers. The railway was officially opened on 1 July 1900, which initiated a period of frantic activity in the town.

In 1902, the railway was continued from Karibib towards Windhoek, and as the mammoth of the railway building process and all the workers moved toward Windhoek, business slowed down in Karibib. Two factors had a detrimental effect on the flourishing of Karibib before 1904. For one, large areas of the Karibib district were in the hands of the Deutsche Kolonial-Gesellschaft, who was not eager to let got of their vested interests easily. Secondly, Karibib was in the traditional area of the West-Hereros, who were equally not very keen on selling land to settlers and traders.

[edit] Uprising

During the Herero Uprising of 1904, Zeraua left the settlers in the Karibib district greatly unharmed, and due to the railway link from Swakopmund to Karibib, the towns importance as a strategical command point grew rapidly. Eventually, the status of Karibib district was raised to that of a constituency, and expanded to include the governance of the district of Omaruru. On 8 December 1907, a reserve for the Herero was proclaimed in the vicinity of Otjimbingwe, whilst the remaining Herero land was confiscated and offered to the resident farmers in the district, a process which lasted until 1909, by which time Karibib district was already counting 837 white settlers, traders and farmers. By 1914, the census counted 892 white people (Karibib: 339, Usakos: 314, Otjimbingwe: 42 and 197 on farms).

In 1910, the first year of a Namibian agronomic census, the district counted 2270 cattle, 8850 goats and sheep, and 139 horses on 65 farms already developed or to be developed. In 1914, this increased to 14,125 cattle, 46,435 goats and sheep, 891 horses, 625 mules, 218 donkeys, 601 pork and 163 ostriches on 74 farms.