The Swakopmund Municipality has appealed to the public to donate food and other items to local soup kitchens instead of people who beg on the streets.

This, it says, will get people off the streets and better cared for.

Speaking at a safety interaction meeting, the Chairperson of the Swakopmund Residents Association, John Hopkins, says giving money to the children who beg on the streets encourages them to continue the trend.

About 15 minor children are currently begging on several street corners in the coastal town.