Innovative Namibia

It makes my day when I see new ingenious ways of doing things, so when I came across a photo of the nifty design of this old petrol pump it immediately got my attention.

So much so that I made sure that the next time I was driving towards Khorixas on my way to Damara Mopane Lodge, I stopped at the Gainatzeb Farm. In the early times it belonged to Farmer Hoppe, who developed it into an impressive farm in its day – with a petrol station. Today it belongs to veteran politician Daniel Luipert. He kindly allowed me to wander around and see what remained of the old petrol station and the innovative petrol pump.

The design that made it so unique came in the form of a set of pedals and a chain from a bicycle, and an old tractor seat. Instead of pumping the petrol by hand, Hoppe modified it so the user could rather sit on the tractor seat and pedal away.

The tractor seat and frame of the pump are all that remain today, but thanks to the old photos we can still enjoy and appreciate this sensible and original design.