Oranjemund is a town in the ǁKaras region of southern Namibia, located on the banks of the Orange River, on the border with South Africa. It is surrounded by a vegetation belt maintained by the residents with grey water from the mining business. Although it is close to the Atlantic the wind is not as penetrating as in other Namibian coastal towns. Old, shady trees are everywhere, an abundance of playgrounds has been established, and wildlife like oryx roam the parks.
Oranjemund was established in 1936 by DeBeers, a diamond mining company. Its sole purpose was to accommodate the mine workers, and it was run and operated privately by Namdeb until 2017. The town was accessible by road only via Alexander Bay in South Africa, on the opposite side of the Orange River. All people entering end exiting Oranjemund had to go through security gates to be screened for stolen diamonds. Cars could not cross these gates and had to be parked on either side. A permit was required for non-residents to enter the town, and it was issued only to applicants from within: tour operators, and, of course, the mining business.
Opened to the general public only in October 2017, Oranjemund is not a typical Namibian settlement: There is no informal housing, crime is virtually non-existent. People in bars talk about their work. Consequently there are almost no tourist facilities. If you are looking for ocean cruises, car rentals, day trips, then this is (still) the wrong place to go. However, the small town is quite attractive and relaxing due to its design.
The town is walkable, but if you bring a bike you'll be faster. As everywhere in Namibia there are taxis that you can wave down. If you are driving do it slowly: Oryx antelopes are roaming everywhere, they have the right of way. Residents will become angry if you hoot or try to bully them away, even if that very oryx occupies the best parking spot. Talking about hooting: At many places you may not hoot at all, which is something rather uncommon in Namibia. This applies to places where the dormitories are—for mineworkers that work shifts—and to the old age home.
There is a well-stocked Spar supermarket and bottle store in the town centre.
The area code for Oranjemund is 063. There is cellphone coverage in town and along the main road, both from MTC and Telecom.
Primary administrative division