Large amounts of litter were left behind by holidaymakers and some residents at Long Beach, much to the dismay of leaders who joined the N/a'an ku sê Wildlife Experience clean-up campaign.

"I see people are still camping, and really, doing this kind of harm to the environment is unacceptable. As I said earlier, the by-laws will definitely be implemented this year, and everyone who comes here and litters – just look at this rubbish, look at all these wine bottles and whatnot. Look at how this ocean is really being put in danger. You can see up to here where the water is coming in and taking back all this rubbish. This is not acceptable," said Erongo Regional Governor Natalia |Goagoses.

Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare and the Erongo Governor joined the annual clean-up campaign organised by the N|a'an ku sê Wildlife Experience.

Dr. Ngurare said sanitation should not be left to the government alone.

"If there's a message that we want to send to all corners of Namibia, in all 121 constituencies and 14 regions, it is to encourage all of us – local authorities, regional councils, and companies in the private sector – to take part. If it means that we must introduce a competition to ensure that the cleanest household, the cleanest school, and the cleanest hospital are awarded some kind of prize, which the Office of the President can preside over, then maybe that's a good start.

This is the second clean-up initiative by the organisation, and in the past two years, 51 tonnes of rubbish have been collected.

Former commissioner Johan Ndjaronguru and Dr. Rudie van Vuuren are among the people behind the initiative, which they say was inspired by the late President Hage Geingob.

"He said, We must be valuable citizens of this country. As N/a'an ku sê, we always ask ourselves: how can we humbly be valuable citizens? What can we do? How can we help? Where can we help? Today is one of those days. This is the second annual clean-up, and we will continue cleaning for the next 100 years. We picked up 51 tonnes in two and a half years. Imagine what we can do in 50 years."

The business community was called upon to contribute one per cent of the income generated during the festive season to assist local authorities in setting up dustbins along the shoreline.

The Erongo Governor further vowed to enforce by-laws that can punish individuals who show no regard for the environment during the festive season.