“We do not settle here.” That’s Katutura’s name in Otjiherero. It speaks volumes about this place. Katutura is more than just a township in Windhoek. It is a symbol of resilience. It is a place of forced removals and a testament to the human spirit.
Imagine Windhoek in the 1950s. The apartheid government decided to move black residents from the Old Location. They were moved 8 kilometers north. This new location became Katutura.
But why “We do not settle?” Residents didn’t want to move. In the Old Location, they owned their land. In Katutura, the municipality owned everything. Plots were smaller. Gardens were impossible. Black residents now had to pay rent and bus fare. The Old Location was within walking distance of jobs. Katutura was not.
Protests erupted. People boycotted municipal services. On December 10, 1959, police opened fire. Eleven people died. Forty-four were wounded. This became known as the Old Location uprising. Today, December 10 is Human Rights Day in Namibia. It is a reminder of the sacrifices made.
The relocation took years. By 1962, about 7,000 people had moved. They joined 2,000 already living there. Half of Windhoek’s indigenous population now lived in Katutura. The population included Ovambo, Damara, and Coloured people. Nama and Herero people also lived here.
Katutura became a place where people were forced to live. Houses even had iron doors. This was because authorities wrongly believed that black residents would break wooden doors to make fire.
Katutura’s history is stained with racism. But it is also a story of survival. People arrived with fear. They only had the clothes on their backs. They left behind their history. They left behind ancestral graves.
Despite this, Katutura became their own. It became dangerous. It also became rich in history. Some wanted to rename Katutura in 2019. The name has a bad connotation. “Ubuntura” was suggested. It is a mix of ubuntu and Katutura.
Today, Katutura Central is a constituency. It includes extensions 2 to 5 and 7 to 11. In 2011, the population was over 24,000. Most households are headed by women. Most employed residents work as gardeners or housekeepers.
Katutura remains a place where people remember the past. It is also a place where they build the future. It is a reminder of the struggle for independence. Katutura is a testament to the strength of the Namibian people.