67 die on Otjozondjupa roads

Road safety has emerged as a major concern in the Otjozondjupa region, with 282 crashes claiming 67 lives and injuring 678 people during the 2025/26 reporting period.

The figures are contained in the Otjozondjupa Regional Council’s 2025/26 report and show an increase in road deaths compared with the previous reporting period.

Fatalities increased from 54 to 67, while injuries rose from 651 to 678.

The increase comes despite continued investment in the region’s road network, with N$76 million spent on road infrastructure improvements during the period.

Of this amount, N$40.8 million was spent on road blading, while N$20 million went towards bitumen maintenance.

A 35.6-kilometre section between Okakarara and Okahitua was re-gravelled at a reported cost of N$8.2 million. The work also included signage, concrete and steel works, litter control and verge maintenance.

The report says road infrastructure remains essential to regional economic activity, agricultural market access, public service delivery and road safety. The region also continues to benefit from the B1 corridor, while several district and rural roads require sustained upgrading and maintenance.

Another major project is the planned upgrade of the MR112 from Okahandja through Hochfeld, Otjozondu and Okondjatu to bitumen standard.

The project had progressed to the procurement stage, with N$30 million allocated for consultancy services.

Red flags

However, the region’s road-safety figures are particularly concerning when considered alongside the crashes recorded after the council’s reporting period.

Two serious crashes were recorded in August alone, although they do not form part of the 282 crashes captured in the council’s statistics.

On 21 August, two motorists survived a head-on collision on the B1 about 10 kilometres south of Otjiwarongo.

On 31 August, four people died instantly when a 16-seater minibus and a Ford Bantam collided head-on about 120 kilometres south of Otjiwarongo on the B1.

The latest crashes come as government considers alternative measures to improve safety on some of the region’s busiest routes.

Works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi told Namibian Sun last week that the high accident rates on the Okahandja–Otjiwarongo, Otjiwarongo–Otavi and Otjiwarongo–Omaruru routes had resulted in loss of life and numerous injuries.

Nekundi said government’s immediate response would be to introduce smart-road infrastructure on the corridors rather than proceed with dual carriageway construction.

He said the Usakos–Swakopmund smart road is expected to go live by the end of September or early October, after which the Okahandja–Otjiwarongo, Otjiwarongo–Otavi and Otjiwarongo–Omaruru routes would be next in line.

Roads Authority estimates put the cost of a full dual carriageway at about N$27.1 billion for the 173-kilometre Okahandja–Otjiwarongo section, N$18.5 billion for Otjiwarongo–Otavi and N$20.6 billion for the Omaruru–Otjiwarongo corridor.

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