Okongo
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Okongo
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = ng
| settlement_type = Village
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| pushpin_map = Namibia
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| coordinates = {{coord|17|34|S|17|13|E|display=inline,title}}
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| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|Namibia}}
| subdivision_type1 = Region
| subdivision_name1 = Ohangwena Region
| subdivision_type2 = Constituency
| subdivision_name2 = Okongo Constituency
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| unit_pref = Metric
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| population_total = 3,564
| population_as_of = 2023
| population_density_km2 = auto
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| timezone = SAST
| utc_offset = +2
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Okongo is a village in the Ohangwena Region of northern Namibia. It had a population of 3,564 people in 2023. It is the district capital of Okongo Constituency.
History
Okongo was first settled by the San people in the 1900s, who, as a hunter-gatherer community, found the local abundance of wildlife and fruit attractive in the village. The name Okongo derives from the Oshiwambo word meaning: a place or a forest for hunting.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}}
The San were eventually displaced in Okongo by the immigration of Bantu people.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}} Today the commonly spoken language in the area is Oshiwambo and Christianity is the predominant religion.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}
Geography
Okongo is situated about {{Convert|120|km}} east of Eenhana on the tarred road to Nkurenkuru.{{cite web|url=http://www.maplandia.com/namibia/ohangwena/okongo/ |title=Okongo Map — Satellite Images of Okongo}}
{{Historical populations|2011|2,236|2023|3,564|percentages=pagr|align=none|footnote=Source:{{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=1 November 2024 | pages=33–34}}}}
Economy and infrastructure
Okongo has basic amenities: electricity, water and sanitation, a post office, basic supermarkets, and clothing outlets, as well as banking facilities. Okongo District Hospital, a 62-bed public hospital that serves the surrounding settlements, is situated in the village.{{Cite web|url=https://www.medpages.info/sf/index.php?page=organisation&orgcode=219876&keywords=Hospitals%20&%20Clinics%20-%20Hospitals%20-%20Public,%20Namibia,%20Ohangwena|title = Okongo District Hospital • Hospitals - Public • Okongo, Okongo}} Despite the water in the villages,it was unable to provide free water to the residents during Covid 19.{{Cite web |title=Okongo Village Council finding it difficult to provide free water to its residents {{!}} nbc |url=https://nbcnews.na/news/okongo-village-council-finding-it-difficult-provide-free-water-its-residents.34092 |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=nbcnews.na}}
There are two pre-primary schools, one primary school (Okongo Primary School), a combined school (Elia Weyulu Combined School) and a secondary school (Oshela Senior Secondary School). There is a NaTIS office, registering cars, drivers, and licenses, which was initiated in 2020.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbc.na/news/roads-authority-opens-natis-office-okongo.33382#:~:text=Roads%20Authority%20has%20opened%20a%20Natis%20office%20at,of%20licenses%2C%20testing%20and%20issuanc |title=Roads Authority opens Natis office at Okongo {{!}} {{!}} NBC |website=www.nbc.na |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708163935/https://www.nbc.na/news/roads-authority-opens-natis-office-okongo.33382 |archive-date=2020-07-08}}
The village is accessible via a tarred road. There is also a landing strip for small aircraft.
Politics
Okongo is governed by a village council that 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}}
The 2015 local authority election was won by SWAPO which gained 881 votes and all five seats. The Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) and the Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) also ran and gained 60 and 29 votes, respectively.{{cite web | title=Local elections results | publisher=Electoral Commission of Namibia | page=5 | 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 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=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 | archivedate=10 December 2015 }} SWAPO also won the 2020 local authority election. It obtained 521 votes and gained four seats. The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), an opposition party formed in August 2020, obtained 208 votes and the remaining seat.{{Cite web | title=2020 Local Authority Elections Results and Allocation of Seats | page=11 | 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 | access-date=25 January 2021}}