Outjo residents have appealed for strict enforcement of the law to minimise criminality and alcohol and drug abuse within their community.

They expressed their needs during a meeting with authorities organised by the European Union (EU) in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.

The Kunene residents believe that most of the social evils encountered in their community have their origins in alcohol and drug abuse.

Shebeens are mainly found in the informal settlement, which the municipality says was designated for residential purposes. 

The increasing use of drugs and alcohol, especially among teenagers, has become a serious concern for residents of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund in the Erongo Region.

This was shared during the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Social Development, and Family Affairs consultations on gender-based violence and femicide in the towns.

Committee chairperson Gotthard Kasuto says consultations follow a petition in 2020 by the Shut It All Down Movement to Parliament seeking an end to sexual violence and femicide.