ABOUT
Mariental or Tsaraxa-Aibes as it is known in the Khoe-khoe (Nama) language sits on the edges of the Kalahari and the Namib Deserts and is the administrative and commercial capital of the Hardap Region in southern Namibia. Nestled between Windhoek and Keetmanshoop, the town sprung to life in 1912 as a railway station and has since grown to support several economic industries, including agronomy, construction, aquaculture, tourism, retail, and services. As a Local Authority, it is our mandate to provide basic services to the community as well as to promote and develop the town’s economy, infrastructure, and growth. This website aims to provide background information on the town, news on the latest developments, and a contact point between the Council, residents, stakeholders, businesses, and visitors.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Mariental was named after Marie Brandt, the wife of the pioneer settler Herman Brandt who bought the farm, Enkelkameeldoringboom “/Gui//ganabes” in 1890 from the then Khoi-khoi (Nama) leader Hendrik Witbooi. He named the farm Marienthal meaning Mary’s valley in German. The indigenous name by the local people is Tsaraxa Aibes meaning place of dust, due to the dust storms that occur mostly in autumn and summer.
The farm Khoichas (5 hectares), adjacent to Marienthal was sold to the then police sergeant Ernst Stumpfe for 40 Pfenning ($5) by the German government in 1905. In 1912 he gave 70 hectares of this land back to the government for the building of a railway station, halfway between Windhoek and Keetmanshoop. In 1914 he requested the German government to develop the town in Mariental. The two areas Marienthal and the portion of Farm Khoichas were then consolidated into Mariental without the h and on On 22 November 1920 Mariental officially became a town and have been accorded full municipal status on 21 January 1946.
LOCATION
Mariental is situated on the banks of the Fish River, 275 km southeast of Windhoek the national capital on the B1 national highway. It links by road and rail to the Republic of South Africa via Keetmanshoop and at the same links with Walvisbay, the national harbor on the C19 secondary road via the Namib Naukluft Park.
GEOGRAPHIC BACKROUND
Mariental is the capital of the Hardap Region, the third largest region in Namibia with a total area of 110382 square kilometers with a population of 79 507 people as per 2011 national population census.
The coordinates of Mariental are 24° 38′ 0″ S, 17° 58′ 0″ E and it has a desert climate classified as BWh according to the Köppen climate classification with hot summers and cool winters. During winter days are mild with chilly nights with minimum temperatures of 5 ͦC which can drop below freezing point. It faces extreme summer temperatures of between 35 – 40 ͦC maximum and has an average annual rainfall of 196 mm which is variable from year to year. Rainfall is usually from December to March. The altitude (elevation) of Mariental is 1090 m and the Time Zone is West African Time (UTC +1) during winter and Central African Time (UTC +2) during summer.
The soil conditions vary from light sandy soils to clayish in some areas. The region has scarce vegetation consisting of isolated trees, shrubs and grass. Some parts have typical savannah vegetation which provides forage for small stock, while the areas with the red Kalahari sandy soils and water springs are suitable for crop production.
Excavated earth dams or rainwater catchment areas provides supplementary water source and enhance the recharge of the underground water with the Hardap dam the largest of them all. The dam was built in 1960 and is currently the largest dam in Namibia with the capacity of 300 million cubic litres and provides water to Mariental, Gibeon and other towns and villages downstream.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Mariental makes up the majority (82%) of the Mariental Urban Constituency thus the demographics will be discussed in terms of the constituency data as per the 2011 national census results.
Mariental has a population of 12,478 and the constituency has a population of 15 254 with the total area of 5,919 square kilometres and a population density of 2.6. The absolute population change of Mariental within the 10 years since the last national population census is 27% with the average annual population growth rate of 2.7. Fifty-two percent (51%) of the population in Mariental are female whereas forty-eight percent (49%) makes up the male population. In the broader Mariental Urban Constituency, 48% are female and 52% are male. The Mariental Urban Constituency has a median age of between 22-24 and a high dependency ratio of 56 % (population between the ages 15 – 65).
The population is composed of Khoi-khoi (Nama/Damara), Afrikaners, Oshiwambo, Herero, Tswana and German. The main spoken language is Khoe-khoe but Afrikaans is also widely spoken. The literacy rate of the constituency stands at 94.3% and the unemployment rate is 37%. Agriculture is the main employer followed by Public Administration and Retail.
ECONOMIC PROFILE
Agriculture is the major economic sector with main economic activities being small stock farming and Agronomy. The majority of small stock farmers concentrate on the production of meat, and the livestock is usually exported on the hoof. The Hardap Irrigation Scheme, currently the largest in Namibia, produces Lucerne, maize and wheat for the local market whereas grapes, watermelons, melons, fruits and vegetables are produced mainly for the export market in South Africa.
The Mariental Constituency supplies the country of 60% of its milk through the !Aimab Superfarm which is situated close to 7 kilometres outside Mariental. It is one of the most modern dairy farms in the world and was built and equipped with tested, state of the art technology from New Zealand, Israel and the United States. The farms was established in 2009 and at full capacity, will house 2 000 cows in milk and a total herd of about 4 500 to 4 800 cattle and produces up 60 000 litres of milk per day. Namibia Dairies is ISO 9001:2008 certified, emphasising its compliance with internationally recognized quality management systems. The Dairies provides a wide range of products namely long-life dairy based products, soft cheeses, yoghurts, fermented tradition dairy products, fruit juices, dairy mixes and carbonated and still mineral water. The deciding factors in choosing Mariental as the most suitable site for the farm included the abundant supply of water from the Hardap Dam and the availability of fodder produced at the Hardap Irrigation Scheme.
The Mariental Piggery currently one of only two local suppliers of pork to the Namibian market provides the market with 45% of its pork through farrow-to-finish unit with close 14500 pigs at the farm situated less than 10 kilometres outside Mariental. The pigs are slaughtered at a local abattoir which are slaughtering up to 500 pigs per day before they are transported to Windhoek for further processing and distribution.
Mariental is situated in the mecca of Namibian sheep farming and is host to the Farmers Meat Market’s Mariental Abattoir which provides 80% of lamb and springbok for both the local marker and export. It is a state of the art EU approved abattoir and exports lamb and springbok meat to Europe, Norway and South Africa. It currently slaughters up to 1300 livestock per day. This export abattoir complies with world food requirements and therefore adheres to international traceability and health standards. In 2013 the meat industry’s Seal of Quality Programme awarded a platinum quality certificate to the Farmers Meat Market’s Mariental Abattoir. The Seal of Quality is a voluntary hygiene and quality certification programme aimed at ensuring the marketing of safe and wholesome red meat and red meat products from participating abattoirs, butcheries and retail red meat outlets.
Mariental is also renowned for its quality clay which is suitable for not only for producing ceramics but also high quality clay bricks for construction materials such as bricks and pavers. Mariental Bricks Manufacturing Company which manufactures red clay bricks from the clay that is mined locally has not only put Mariental on the country’s map as the source of cheaper bricks. It has also discarded the myth that Namibia’s soils are not suitable for manufacturing strong bricks. Clay bricks are cheaper than the conventional cement bricks that are common in the country. These bricks are moulded from the clay mortar, furnace burnt to harden before being sold locally or transported by rail to Windhoek’s Northern Industrial area where the company has a warehouse. Mariental Supersand also manufactures conventional sand, stone, bricks and pavers that they provide to the local market and distribute through offices in Keetmanshoop and Windhoek to the national market.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Mariental is the obvious choice for local, national, and foreign investors who expect a return on their investment due to the potential growth of the agricultural, manufacturing, construction, tourism, and service sectors.
AGRICULTURE
Livestock
With the large extent of small stock farming in the Mariental district and since the Abattoir is slaughtering up to 1300 lamb and springbok per day; there is feasibility for a Livestock Processing Plant.
Fruit and Vegetables
The production and processing of table grapes can in the long run make it viable for the establishment of a wine cellar whereas the fruit and vegetable production at the irrigation scheme provides the opportunity for processing fresh and dried fruit and vegetable through canning, juicing, concentrates, jams, blanching and freezing for both local consumption and export.
Dairy Products
With the !Aimab Superfarm is situated supplemented by other smaller diaries in the area, the potential does exist for the establishment of a UHT plant and the manufacturing of supplementary dairy products such as cheese and butter.
MANUFACTURING
With the Farmer’s meat market slaughtering about 1300 livestock per day an opportunity exists for a Tannery for hides and skins in order to produce leather for shoes, garments, and accessories for the local market as well as exporting.
Textiles and Garments
Since cotton can be produced in the Mariental surroundings and with the high concentration of Dorper and Karakul farming in the district again creates opportunities for the establishment of production and processing plants for thread and spinning of garments as well as a carpet weaving industry for both the local and export markets.
Construction
Mariental is quite able to sustain an efficient construction sector because of the abundance of quality clay and conventional bricks that are being manufactured in Mariental as well as steel that is readily available and hardware stores that sell all amenities needed within the sector. An opportunity to extend and expand the industry does exist especially with the current demand in terms of decentralization.
FISHERIES
Aquaculture
The Hardap Dam the biggest dam in the country also provides large volumes of freshwater fish such as mudfish, moggel, tilapia, catfish, yellowfish, and carp which are used for fish farming, household use, and recreational fishing. The Eco Fish Farm which is located at the Hardap Dam Resort currently produces high breed tilapia fish mostly for the local market. There are therefore more investment opportunities with regard to freshwater fish breeding for the local consumption as well as expanding it to the surrounding towns and villages.
Freshwater Fish Value Addition could take place through preliminary processing which usually consists of evisceration, beheading, scaling, cutting off fins and belly flaps, slicing of whole fish into steaks, filleting, skinning, grinding of skinned fillets and different combinations of the above can be done through a Freshwater Fish Processing Plant. Further value addition can be done in terms of smoking and canning and also other spin-offs such as fishmeal to provide feed for the local pig farm. There are thus also opportunities in terms of retail for the local consumption as well as the surrounding areas.
MINING AND MINERALS
Mariental has a high concentration of quality clay, which creates an opportunity for the establishment of a production and processing manufacturer to process clay for ceramic, pottery as well as building materials such as bricks. Apart from the clay bricks, conventional bricks and other building materials such as stone and sand are also being produced through sand mining in Mariental and its surroundings.
TOURISM
Mariental with its strategic location is a gateway to all the internationally acclaimed tourist destinations such as Sesriem, Sossusvlei, Namib Naukluft Park, and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park amongst others. As the capital of the region, it comfortably straddles both the Namib and the Kalahari Deserts like an oasis, linking up a variety of Lodges and Guest farms in the hearts of the two Deserts. The location creates splendid opportunities for tourism-related business, especially in the service sector.
The Hardap Dam, the largest in the country is a popular tourist resort providing self-catering accommodation, and fishing and has a game reserve for game viewing. It is also the prime location for Namibia’s fast-developing water sports such as the Annual International Triathlon and Angling competitions ranging from; Tri-nations, to national, international, and club competitions.
Visitors are assured of accommodation, dining, laundry, and other important services such as postal, police, and commercial banks that offer foreign exchange, automatic teller machines, and online banking for easy access to your holiday funds. Visitors also have access to the internet through wireless systems at the various accommodation facilities and a hot spot at the local telecommunication center in the town. The Mariental Municipality offers tourist information regarding Mariental and the surrounding areas as well as advice on road conditions, accommodation, and tourists attractions in the area.
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
The Mariental Municipal Council consists of seven (7) Councillors who are elected every 5 years in terms of their political party affiliation by the citizens living in Mariental for at least twelve (12) months. Office bearers namely the Mayor (Chairperson), Deputy Mayor (Vice-Chairperson) and the three (3) Management Committee Members are elected by the full council on an annual basis. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are ad hoc members of the management committee but have no voting rights.
The Chief Executive Officer reports to the Management Committee and the office consists of a Personal Assistant and the Public Relations Officer.
The Municipality consists of three (3) departments namely Finance, Administration and HR, Economic Development and Community Affairs and Infrastructure and Technical Services. The three heads of departments are titled Senior Managers and reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer.
How may we help you?
We look forward to your enquiries
Find us at the office
Mariental Municipality
PO Box 10, Mariental,
Namibia