Pressure is mounting against the Walvis Bay Municipality administration to remove Red Force as a debt collector.

Councillor Ephraim Shozi, at a community meeting last night (Wednesday), said he will table a motion at the next council meeting for the removal of Red Force as a debt collector.

Other councillors, including Ryan Gordon, Albertina Nkoshi, Paulus Kauhondamwa, and Ronald Bramwell, supported the decision.

Last month, residents marched to the municipality to demand the removal of Red Force as a debt collector at Walvis Bay.

The introduction of visas upon arrival at Walvis Bay Harbour is expected to create a stress-free experience for cruise liner tourists.

The cruise passenger liner industry previously expressed concern about the immigration process, which they described as lengthy.

Because the vessels did not often dock at the Walvis Bay harbour for a day, the lengthy process delayed tourists, who booked activities with local operators.

A member of the Erongo Tourism Forum, Kenneth Kapitako, says immigration authorities have been improving their performance in recent months.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration is convinced that the Ministry of Mines and Energy is hiding information and documentation on diamond deposits and mining operations in Skeleton Coast Park.

In a report, the committee has recommended that the ministry not renew any mining and exploration licences within the park.

The committee went on an oversight visit to Skeleton Coast Park in August 2023. That mission was tasked with assessing and determining whether there are existing diamond deposits or mining operations taking place.

Namport has clinched a deal that will see six passenger cruise liners spend more days at Walvis Bay in October to boost tourism.

Normally, these cruise liners dock at the harbour for less than a day, spending less money on the local economy.

The Erongo Tourism Forum is making deliberate efforts to boost passenger cruise liner tourism.

In the past, Namport targeted 25 passenger cruise liners to dock at the harbour annually.

This number has, however, increased since the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the industry.

A South African company, Oceana Group, has apologised over claims that the suspended Managing Director of its Namibian subsidiary, Erongo Marine Enterprises, had resigned. 

In a statement, the company said Dr. Martha Uumati's employment was terminated by mutual agreement.

The suspended MD's contract came to an end on Monday.

Erongo Marine Enterprises, which is owned by Oceana Group, was pursuing disciplinary action against Dr. Uumati.

She was dismissed for gross subordination and improper behaviour as a leader of the enterprise.

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.

Debate over how Namibia dealt with its colonial past took centre stage during a panel discussion organised by the Forum of German-Speaking Namibians in Swakopmund.

Dr. John Nakuta was one of the presenters at the panel discussion, which discussed challenges to democracy. Dr. Nakuta was of the view that issues like the Ovaherero-Nama genocide and land restitution have not been dealt with appropriately, posing a threat to democracy.

The upgrade of a five-kilometre water pipeline near Henties Bay is expected to start soon, following the awarding of a N$15 million tender to a local company.

The pipeline ferries water from the Omdel acquifier at the Omaruru river mouth to ensure water supply at Hentiesbay.

Erongo Governor Neville Andre says the multi-million-dollar upgrade shows the government's commitment to service delivery despite challenges like a sparsely populated country.

Members of the Walvis Bay Backyard Tenants Association celebrated councils' approval to grant a large portion of land at Farm 37 to its members.

Farm 37 is an area on the outskirts of the harbour town, identified in 2015 as a solution to the towns' land and housing demands.

The members who were overwhelmed by happiness have been allocated land at portion 19 of Farm 37 to build low-cost housing.

The residents will purchase the unserviced land at a cost of N$2,3 million.

Walvis Bay residents have demanded that the municipality remove RedForce as a debt collector.

The residents say their municipal debts have significantly increased while some of the houses were disconnected from the water supply by RedForce.