Schools in the coastal towns of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay are overwhelmed with the number of pupils to be admitted, with parents still queuing up for applications.

Parents and guardians were observed flocking to schools at Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, hoping to have their children placed in Pre-Primary to Grade 11.

After a well-deserved rest, the holiday season has ended, and parents across the country have hit the roads in search of stationery, school outfits, or, in some cases, placement.

The prices charged by long-distance transport operators are expected to revert to normal tomorrow.

Normaly, if you are travelling between Windhoek and Mariental, the price of a seat is N$180; Windhoek to Karasburg costs N$450; Windhoek to Cape Town costs N$1000; while from Windhoek to Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, commuters can expect to fork out N$200 and N$220, respectively.

During the festive season, however, commuters and drivers were allowed to negotiate based on their pockets.

But as of Tuesday, prices are expected to normalise.

Vernon John Gavin, a 53-year-old resident of Banker Close Fairways in Walvis Bay, was killed and robbed of his Samsung Galaxy 14 at his home around 12:30 on December 30.

The incident occurred in his house, where he lived alone. It is suspected that someone with whom he was socialising with, attacked and killed him in his bedroom.

The perpetrator tied his legs with curtains and blind strings, placing a face cloth in his mouth.

American legal expert Eric Casher and the youth at Walvis Bay are advocating for ethical leadership in Namibia.

A public lecture by City Attorney Eric Casher from the United States attracted youth leaders from the coast to learn about ethical leadership.

As an African American, Casher revealed that he was not a stern believer in the American government when he was young because his forefathers were excluded.

President Hage Geingob has visited Namibia's first state-of-the-art green hydrogen plant, refuelling station, and hydrogen academy at Walvis Bay.

Dr. Geingob arrived at the N$4 billion facility, located a few kilometres from the Walvis Bay International Airport.

The initiative is a joint venture between local companies Ohlthaver and List (O&L) Group and Belgium's CMBT Tech.

O&L Group Director for Innovation, Eike Krafft, explained to the president that construction has started following a groundbreaking ceremony last week.

The Director of Research in the Ministry of Higher Education, Technology, and Innovation (MHETI), Dr. Lisho Mundia, has called on the private sector to invest in research to solve the country's problems.

Dr. Mundia made the remarks at a Marine Research Conference at Walvis Bay, where he stressed that without research, the country cannot develop.

The Walvis Bay Municipality is reserving 33 hectares of land at Farm 37 for the town's Backyard Tenants Group.

This comes in the wake of the group's petition, handed over to the municipality in February this year.

The Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration, Natangwe Ithete, has emphasised the necessity of revising and modernising the national railway system in a way that stimulates growth and development.

Ithete said this during a visit by the members of the standing committee to ||Kharas Governor Aletha Frederick.

The standing committee is currently conducting an oversight visit to assess the management of railway services, infrastructure, and facilities in the southern region.

Fisheries biologist Lessyn Kalwenya believes seal meat has the potential to add to the list of local delicacies.

She says it will come with the added advantage of health benefits due to its oil being rich in Omega 3.

Kalwenya says seal meat will not only help feed thousands but can also help control and sustainably harvest the country's seal quota, which at the moment is underutilised.

The high influx of people in the coastal towns of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay has put pressure on schools there despite the construction of additional classrooms and projects.

In his State of the Region Address, the Governor of the Erongo Region, Neville Andre, said during the period under review, the Directorate of Education, Art, and Culture has recorded an increase in learner enrollments from 51,942 last year to 53,538 this year.

This represents an increase of 1,596 learners.