The small town of Khorixas, the capital of Damaraland before Namibias independence (1990) was not a very pleasant place. We had been for-warned by Bianca at Ouhave. We just wanted to buy a pie or something for a quick lunch in the car. And fill up the tank. They had a man watching the cars, while customers were in the shop. The shop even had a security guy, he checked everyones receipt when exiting the store. Shoplifting must be a big issue.
After choosing lunch (mutton pie or chicken pie were the options we had), Jan went outside to wait in the car while Alex and I queued to pay.
We didn’t hang around long in this town. Drove a few km before stopping the car to eat our lunch. Very tasty pies. A piece of Cadbury’s chocolate (we have visited the factory in Tasmania, but that’s a different story) for dessert.
According to information found on the internet Khorixas has about 6000 inhabitants. The unemployment rate is estimated to be 70%. Khorixas suffers from lack of economic development and employment opportunities. This must lead to a lot of frustration. The town’s informal settlement, Donkerhoek (dark corner), has neither water nor electricity.