Berseba
Karas Region

Berseba (Nama: !Autsawises) 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 mi) north-west of Keetmanshoop near the Brukkaros Mountain, a famous tourist destination.

HistoryLutheran church in Berseba, Namibia

The foundation of Berseba is recorded on 17 October 1850 when Rhenish Missionary 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 Khoikhoi name !Autsawises, 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: |Hai-|khaua).

Since then chieftainship 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. Today, Kaptein Johannes Isaak is the traditional leader of the |Hai-|khaua.

Development and Infrastructure

The first diamond 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 Bruckaros 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 election, Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) defeated SWAPO 221 votes to 200. No other party participated in the election for the Berseba Village Council.

Coordinates: 25°58'S 17°46'E
Country: Namibia
Region: Karas Region
Constituency: Berseba Constituency
Elevation: 3,041 ft (926 m)
Population:
• Total 5,000
Time zone: South African Standard Time (UTC+1)

Sights: Quiver Tree Forest & Giant's Playground, Brukkaros Volcano, Fish River Canyon

Contact & information:
E-mail: info@namibweb.com

Facebook:

NAMIBIA: https://www.facebook.com/groups/namibia.namibia

TRAVEL NAMIBIA: https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelnamibia

KEETMANSHOOP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/keetmanshoop.namibia

Related Maps Accommodation in the area Activities in the area
Hotels Pensions B&Bs Lodges Camping & others
Accommodation South Africa Maps Canyon Hotel Bird's Nest & Bird's Mansions At Home B&B Canyon Lodge Canyon Road House Guided hikes
Noordoewer - Seeheim Hotel Quiver Tree Forest Camp Gessert's B&B Canyon Village Canyon Mountain Camp Fish River Canyon tours
Karas Region - - Schutzenhaus Guest House - Central Lodge Landsberg Farm Fish River Canyon hike
Photo galleries - - Vogelstrausskluft Country Lodge - Lafenis Lodge Mesosaurus Fossil Site Car rental
Mariental - - - - - Quiver Tree Forest Camp -

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