B1 road (Namibia)

B1 is one of the most important roads in Namibia, passing through the centre of the country in a north-south direction. It connects Noordoewer on the South African border with Oshikango in the north on the Angolan border. Important cities it passes through in a North-South direction include Oshikango, Ondangwa, Tsumeb, Otavi, Otjiwarongo, Okahandja, Windhoek, Rehoboth, Mariental, Keetmanshoop and Noordoewer. It is part of the Tripoli-Cape Town Highway.

B1 road
Route information
Length	1,536 km (954 mi)
Major junctions
South end	Noordoewer
North end	Oshikango
Location
Major cities	Keetmanshoop, Mariental, Rehoboth, Windhoek, Okahandja, Otjiwarongo, Otavi, Tsumeb, Ondangwa, Oshakati
Towns	Hardap, Oshivelo, Omuthiya, Endola, Oshikango
Highway system
Transport in Namibia

The northern stretch of the road from Tsumeb to Ondangwa via Namutoni was built in 1957–58. Ca. a decade later it was paved, but now it went through Oshivelo, and the paved section went from Ondangwa to Oshakati. The stretch from Ondangwa to Oshikango was still a gravel road.[1]

B1 is one of the most dangerous Namibian roads with many traffic accidents and many fatalities in them. The section between Okahandja and Otjiwarongo is particularly deadly.[2]

In 2007 the B1 lent its name to the B1 Butcher, a serial killer who professionally dismembered his victims and deposited body parts of at least five women near the road.[3] The murderer has never been identified.[4]