Gibeon, Namibia

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Gibeon

| native_name = Khaxa-tsûs

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| settlement_type = Village

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| pushpin_map = Namibia

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| coordinates = {{coord|25|07|28|S|17|45|58|E|display=inline,title}}

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| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{flag|Namibia}}

| subdivision_type1 = Region

| subdivision_name1 = Hardap Region

| subdivision_type2 = Constituency

| subdivision_name2 = Gibeon Constituency

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| founder = Kido Witbooi

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| population_total = 4,120

|population_as_of = 2023

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Gibeon (Nama: Khaxa-tsûs) is a village in Gibeon Constituency in the Hardap Region of Namibia. The village had 4,120 inhabitants in 2023.

History

Gibeon, originally known by the name Khaxa-tsûs, received its name from Kido Witbooi, first Kaptein of the ǀKhowesin, a subtribe of the Orlam.{{cite web

|title=Biographies of Namibian Personalities, W

|last=Dierks

|first=Klaus

|authorlink=Klaus Dierks

|url=http://www.klausdierks.com/Biographies/Biographies_W.htm

|accessdate=6 February 2015}} He arrived with his followers in about 1850, shortly after a Rhenish mission station was established here.{{cite book

|last1=Tonchi

|first1=Victor L

|last2=Lindeke

|first2=William A

|last3=Grotpeter

|first3=John J

|title=Historical Dictionary of Namibia

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mls4H1mnN_0C

|edition=2

|series=Historical Dictionaries of Africa, African historical dictionaries

|year=2012

|publisher=Scarecrow Press

|isbn=9780810879904

|page=472}} Gibeon has been the home town of this group, subsequently also known as the Witbooi Nama, ever since.{{cite book

|last=Dedering

|first=Tilman

|title=Hate the old and follow the new: Khoekhoe and missionaries in early nineteenth-century Namibia

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=anD2mOjDdMIC&pg=PA59

|accessdate=7 February 2011

|edition=Missionsgeschichtliches Archiv

|volume=2

|year=1997

|publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag

|isbn=978-3-515-06872-7

|pages=59–61}}

Buildings and structures

Gibeon Railway Station 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 have 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.[http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=34976&no_cache=1 No renovations yet on Gibeon stadium] 1 December 2007, The Namibian

Geography

{{Historical populations|2011|2,244|2023|4,120|percentages=pagr|align=none|footnote=Sources:{{cite web | title=4.5 Population by town and census years (2011 and 2023) | url=https://nsa.org.na/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2023-Population-and-Housing-Census-Main-Report-28-Oct-2024.pdf | work=Namibia 2023 - Population and Housing Census. Main Report | publisher=Namibia Statistics Agency | access-date=2 November 2024 | pages=33–34}}}}

=Weather and climate=

Gibeon normally receives an annual average rainfall of {{convert|148|mm}}, although in the 2010/2011 rainy season {{convert|494|mm}} were measured.{{cite news

|url=http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/may/article/rainy-season-was-one-for-the-record-books/

|title=Rainy season was one for the record books

|last=Menges

|first=Werner

|date=26 May 2011

|newspaper=The Namibian|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111215044804/http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2011/may/article/rainy-season-was-one-for-the-record-books/|archivedate=15 December 2011}}

=Gibeon meteorite=

File:Gibeon-meteorite-in-Post-Street-Mall.jpg on display in Windhoek]]

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[http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=10912 Meteoritical Bulletin Database: Gibeon]

Gibeon meteorites are made of an iron-nickel alloy, but also contain cobalt and phosphorus. The crystalline structure of this meteorite is a classic example of fine octahedrite and the Widmanstätten pattern aesthetically appreciated both by collectors and jewel designers. However, collecting meteorites or damaging them is illegal, as all meteorites found in Namibia are automatically protected as National Monuments.{{Cite book | title=National Monuments in Namibia: An Inventory of Proclaimed National Monuments in the Republic of Namibia | last=Voigt | first=Andreas | publisher=Gamsberg Macmillan | year=2004 | pages=1–3 | isbn= 9991605932 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h0h0AAAAMAAJ}}

About 100–150 different fragments have been collected over time, and additional pieces are {{As of|2004|alt=still}} found occasionally. The largest collection of Gibeon meteorites is displayed on a fountain in Windhoek's Central Business District.

Politics

Gibeon is governed by a village council that {{As of|November 2015|alt=currently}} has five seats.{{Cite news | title=Know Your Local Authority | publisher=Institute for Public Policy Research | newspaper=Election Watch | year = 2015 | issue=3 | page=4}}

Johannes Isaaks (1941–2010) was the first Mayor of Gibeon as well as prominent political activist.[http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?id=28&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=66142&no_cache=1 An unsung hero from the South passes on] 26 March 2010, The Namibian 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. The 2015 local authority election was also won by the SWAPO party which gained four seats (680 votes). The remaining seat went to the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA, 82 votes).{{cite web | title=Local elections results | publisher=Electoral Commission of Namibia | page=2 | url=http://www.ecn.na/documents/27857/218731/LA+results+%28press+release%29+2015.pdf/870a030b-8547-487f-ad18-b22713b16d4c?version=1.0 | date=28 November 2015 | access-date=2 September 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210194328/http://www.ecn.na/documents/27857/218731/LA+results+%28press+release%29+2015.pdf/870a030b-8547-487f-ad18-b22713b16d4c?version=1.0 | archive-date=10 December 2015 | url-status=dead }}

The 2020 local authority election was won by the newly formed Landless People's Movement (LPM) which scored well all over Hardap. LPM gained 514 votes and three seats in the village council, SWAPO gained the remaining two seats with 433 votes.{{Cite web | title=2020 Local Authority Elections Results and Allocation of Seats | page=2 | date=29 November 2020 | publisher=Electoral Commission of Namibia | url=https://www.ecn.na/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Media-Release-on-LA-Results_2020.pdf | accessdate=3 December 2020 | archive-date=24 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124162938/https://www.ecn.na/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Media-Release-on-LA-Results_2020.pdf | url-status=dead }}

=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 COD 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%.[http://www.electionwatch.org.na/node/15 National Assembly Election Results 2004] Election Watch Namibia

=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 Pohamba'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 ǀGoagoseb 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.[http://www.electionwatch.org.na/results?q=presidential2009 Presidential Election Results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307055806/http://www.electionwatch.org.na/results?q=presidential2009 |date=2016-03-07 }} Election Watch Namibia