What’s in the name?

Some gave the Afrikaans name ‘Vergenoeg’ – ‘Far Enough’ to their farms when they had finally found a place to put down roots. Others used the name when they had depleted their energy resources and could travel no further or when geographical aspects of the land impeded any further movement. The reason a farm was given a specific name fuels the imagination and always leaves you guessing.

The name ‘Vergenoeg’ appears in various places in Namibia and means different things for different people. This farm sign, which appears on the scenic D707 bordering the Namib Naukluft Park, is adjacent to the dune belt and you wonder if this thwarted any further progression and inspired the name.

Many farms were established in the period after WWII when there was an influx of South Africans looking for land. Initially they were given grazing licenses, and once they had developed the infrastructure – a water point, kraal or house, they could apply for a loan to buy the land. As more people arrived there was less available land and many were given land in arid areas like the Fish River Canyon surrounds or the desert. Karakul farming enabled farmers to survive in these areas of marginal rainfall in southern Namibia between the 1950s and 1980s, until the market crashed and a series of droughts ravaged the land.

Only a handful of the original farming families remain. Some of the farms were sold, and some became hobby farms or were converted for tourism purposes. The interesting names can still be seen today and hint of the sentiment behind the name, whether that be relief, love, the end of the road or welcome homecoming.