The Otjozondjupa Regional Council has amended the criteria for drought relief aid to include informal settlement households.

This was confirmed by the Regional Council Chairperson, Marlene Mbakera, who also chairs the regional disaster risk management committee.

5,000 households in informal settlements in the region's five major towns will benefit from the drought relief aid under the peri-urban programme.

They now join a list of 15,960 registered households, pushing up demand.

In a groundbreaking move for the Otjiwarongo Municipality, the council's budget was publicly shared with the community for the first time.

According to Gothard Hoko, the chairperson of the management council, the purpose of this move is to inform community members about the council's plans, projects, and other activities, as many residents do not attend council meetings.

During the public meeting at the community hall, updates were also provided on road maintenance, water infrastructure, and expansions, including waste water treatment and street renaming.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted great concern over the continued use of different forms of tobacco, especially among the young population, despite significant strides in public health awareness. 

The concerns noted by the WHO Officer in Charge of Namibia, Dr. Mary Brantuo, were shared by WHO representative Laimi Ashipala at the World No Tobacco Day commemoration at Tsumeb in Oshikoto on Friday.

Although tobacco use in the adult group has recorded a decline in 2023, it has picked up in the young adolescent population, especially among girls.

A group of SWANU Party members at Kalkfeld have taken to the streets to voice their grievances against the effects of water debts, unemployment, and a lack of updates on plans for the settlement's intended upgrading to village council status.

The residents were led by Mbango Nandova, who called on the regional council to react to the petition, which proposes various interventions to stimulate growth at the settlement.

The residents gathered at the Kalkfeld Resettlement Office to submit the petition, but were snubbed by authorities.

A police station worth N$7 million has been inaugurated at Palmwag Settlement in the Kunene Region's Sesfontein Constituency. 

Police Inspector General Joseph Shikongo says safety and security services are critical for all Namibians to access, to ensure that, and also for officers to be provided with proper structures to work from.

Police officers in the area have been serving the public at the checkpoint since 1998.

The checkpoint was previously used as a veterinary control point and a tourism concession area without accommodation or office facilities.

Kunene Regional Governor Marius Sheya has presented Vice President Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah with a briefing note detailing the goals the Regional Council hopes to achieve.

These range from road upgrades to drought relief assistance and the proclamation of the villages of Kamanjab, Torra Bay, and Terrace Bay to municipalities.

The note was presented during Nandi-Ndaitwah's regional visit, which started at Outjo in the presence of cabinet ministers, regional and local authority councillors, and other stakeholders.

Vice President Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah has inaugurated a 20-hectare crop and vegetable community garden in Outjo that is to be a key player in the agricultural sector in the Kunene Region, amidst the challenges of drought spells and food insecurity at household levels.

Initiated in August 2019, with the first production only taking place in January this year, the N$5 million-valued Harambe-Oyetu community garden will be operating on a commercial basis under the terms of the Green Scheme Policy.

Residents of Grootfontein's Kap en Bou settlement are calling on the municipality to fast-track the provision of water and electricity to their area.

Kap en bou started as a result of land grabbing in 2017, and the population has since grown over the years.

Inhabitants here get water from a nearby location, Blikkies Dorp, where they pay for it. A lack of electricity is another challenge.

With many learners battling to attain good results in science subjects at primary school levels, B2 Gold Namibia Mine has pledged to come up with initiatives to spark the science passion in learners.

It is for this reason that B2 Gold Namibia unveiled the Little Shop of Physics minibus at Otavi Primary School.

The Mobile Lab on Wheels science and physics initiative has been in operation since 2017 in all regions.

At Otavi, the school bus will be accessible to over 1,000 learners, with a greater focus on Grade 7.

Services have been fully restored at Mangetti Dune Health Centre in Tsumkwe Constituency following renovations.

The 24-hour centre also now has a doctor, a pharmacist, and a social worker. 

A budget of N$1 million was set aside to renovate the centre and bring all services to standard.

Otjozondjupa Regional Health Director, Gerbardo Timotheus, says the clinic was a military clinic before independence.