Namibia Drydock (Namdock) and Ship Repair has postponed the mass disciplinary hearings for its Walvis Bay workers, following a request from the Metal and Allied Namibian Worker's Union (MANWU).

The union, through its lawyer, Richard Metcalfe, says conducting mass disciplinary hearings of close to 500 workers in a day defies all notions of fair treatment of workers set out in the company's disciplinary code and procedure.

The employees downed tools on April 8 over alleged unfair working conditions.

Walvis Bay will join 38 other local authorities at the US-based Johns Hopkins University's new Youth Climate Action Fund, where it will receive close to N$1 million for disbursement to youth-led climate action initiatives.

This was brought to light by Walvis Bay Mayor Trevino Forbes at the ordinary council meeting. 

Forbes says efforts stemming from the new Youth Climate Action Fund will advance critical community goals such as meeting decarbonisation commitments or reducing consumption-based emissions.

The president of the Trade Union Congress of Namibia (TUCNA), Paulus Hango, has been re-elected for the fifth time at Walvis Bay.

At his re-election, Hango said trade unions and workers in Namibia face many challenges and difficulties.
 
He says trade union leaders need to firmly commit themselves as a united front and help to ensure that workers earn decent wages and stop exploitation of the employees.
 
Hango stated that employers make massive profits at the expense of the workers.
 
A lack of minimum wage in some sectors is another.

A group of cyclists from Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa have undertaken a 1,800-kilometre ride to raise awareness about the significance of the Trans-Kalahari Corridor (TKC). 

The cycling initiative is a first step towards the elimination of tariff barriers erected at borders and within countries. 

The team embarked on this journey from Rustenburg in South Africa to Walvis Bay in the Erongo Region. 

NamWater has started with Phase 3 of its upgrade of the Kuiseb Collector pipeline near Walvis Bay.

The renovations are expected to be completed by next year to ensure a reliable and integrated water supply at the coast. 

The Kuiseb and Omdel aquifers have traditionally provided towns on the central coast with water, with the Orano desalination plant joining the list of providers at a later stage.

The government drilled boreholes and built pipelines to supply water.

Over 208 of the 235 former Okapale fishermen at Walvis Bay employed by Iyaloo Women Group Investment are accusing the company's management of unfair labour treatment, non-compliance with the labour law, and unethical practices.

This comes after a delay in the workers receiving their basic salaries this month.

The 235 fishermen were part of the 590 formerly employed by various fishing companies. 

They lost their jobs due to their participation in an illegal strike in 2015.

They camped near Kuisebmond Stadium at Walvis Bay for about five years.

After Namibia's independence on March 21, 1990, the Apartheid South African government refused to relinquish control over Walvis Bay.

The harbour town, even after the lowering of the Apartheid regime's flag, was administered by the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Four years later, in 1994, a deal was struck following negotiations between the new ANC-led government in South Africa and Namibia, and this saw the successful and peaceful re-integration of Walvis Bay on February 28, 1994.

The pressure on healthcare services and facilities is growing in the Erongo Region due to an ageing population, staff shortages, and an underdeveloped healthcare system.

During an interview with nbc News, Regional Health Director Anna Jonas says there is an acute lack of proper mental healthcare facilities as well as congested clinics and health centres both in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund districts due to urban migration.

Recently, a 26-year-old mentally unstable male patient was admitted to the Swakopmund State Hospital for mental treatment.

A new school, still to be christened and without an electricity connection or office block and further lacking teachers, opened its doors to close to four hundred learners between grades seven and nine.

The school opened prematurely on Monday due to the high demand for placement in Walvis Bay's Narraville neighbourhood.

Excitement filled the air as learners and proud parents moved to the area designated as the day's assembly point, smiling brightly from ear to ear. 

The increasing use of drugs and alcohol, especially among teenagers, has become a serious concern for residents of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund in the Erongo Region.

This was shared during the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Social Development, and Family Affairs consultations on gender-based violence and femicide in the towns.

Committee chairperson Gotthard Kasuto says consultations follow a petition in 2020 by the Shut It All Down Movement to Parliament seeking an end to sexual violence and femicide.