The clocks in Namibia tick differently to those in Europe – this saying is only partially true. It only applies for half of the year, from the end of October to the end of March to be precise. During this period Namibia is one hour ahead. From the end of March to the end of October, Namibian and European clocks tick to the same beat.
Namibia opted for Central Africa Time (CAT) when it gained independence in 1990. This is two hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC, or Greenwich Mean Time, GMT), in short: UTC+2. Namibia is one hour ahead of Central European Time (CET): CET+1.
When Europe sets its clocks forward by one hour to summer time (CEST) on the last Sunday in March, it is on a par with Namibia. But only until the last Sunday in October. Because then Europe turns its clocks back one hour to CET.
Current time in Windhoek.
Time zone: Central African Time (CAT) = Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) +2
In terms of time, this makes Namibia an ideal long-haul destination for holidaymakers from Europe. Like the USA, it is nine to ten hours away by plane. But there is no jet lag. Holidaymakers from South Africa and other neighbouring countries that belong to the CAT zone do not need to change their clocks when entering the country throughout the year.
No way! This tongue-in-cheek and quite ambiguous African saying does not actually apply to Namibia. The only thing that is true is the rather relaxed basic attitude towards time: you take it easy and don't always look at your watch. But public authorities and shops do keep to their opening hours.
The clock also sets the pace in the hospitality industry, even if not to the minute: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Checking out, cleaning the rooms and checking in and access to the rooms. Not forgetting the offered experiences such as the morning hike or the game drive in the afternoon.
The Africans confidently poke fun at the Europeans with their joke about clock and time. Nevertheless, you can also hear a self-deprecating undertone of perceived technical inferiority. Which is completely inappropriate in Namibia.
The Namibians have almost effortlessly achieved what Europeans have been endeavouring to do in vain for decades: they have abolished the time changeover, which has been proven to be useless and undesirable for the majority.
Namibia introduced winter time in 1993. On the first Sunday in April, the clocks were turned back at 3.00 am to 2.00 am (CAT-1, UTC+1). The main reason: children should not have to go to school in the dark in winter. Winter time ended on the first Sunday in September.
However, winter time posed a problem for Namibian companies that had business dealings with South Africa, Namibia's main trading partner. The one-hour difference meant that they lost four hours of common office hours: One hour each in the morning and evening and two hours at lunchtime.
But winter time also had disadvantages for the people. In June, it started to get dark as early as 4.45 pm. The walk after work therefore took place in the dark. Namibia holidaymakers had to arrive at their lodge before 15:00 if they didn't want to miss the game drive.
In addition, the Zambezi region did not switch to winter time. And rightly so, as the sun rises and sets almost an hour earlier in Katima Mulilo than in Windhoek. This meant that there were two time zones in Namibia in winter.
The criticism from business and society did not fall silent, but became even louder from 2010 onwards. The government organised nationwide hearings and an official survey. Parliament passed the new time law in August 2017. The last winter time in Namibia ended just a few weeks later with the time change in September.
More on the topic on Wikipedia.
Sorry, we can’t seem to find any matches for your search. Have a look at our popular searches below.