A one-day farmers' day event aimed at equipping farmers with knowledge on vaccines and livestock diseases was poorly attended by farmers in the Okakarara constituency.

This is even though the Otjozondjupa Region is battling an outbreak of lumpy skin disease.

On Friday, the Veterinary Directorate in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform issued a warning of the lumpy skin disease outbreak in the Okakarara constituency.

However, only a few farmers showed up at the farmers' day information and engagement session held at Ombujovakuru Ekuva. 

The residents of Otjozondjupa Region have proposed dividing the region into two parts: Otjozondjupa North and South.

Residents also want to split certain places into specific constituencies.

Otjozondjupa is the fourth largest region, with nine settlements.

Most services are available in its capital, Otjiwarongo. For example, residents of Gam have to travel about 600 kilometres to access such services.

Before the visit from the Boundaries Delimitation and Demarcation Commission, the region's leadership visited each constituency to gather their input.

The fight against crime cannot be left to the police alone; it should be a collective effort through community policing initiatives.

Marlene Mbakera, an Otjiwarongo councillor, praised over 70 volunteers from an informal settlement who have dedicated their lives to assisting the police.

Established in 2014, the Otjiwarongo Community Against Crime Forum continues to play its role as the most vibrant crime prevention group in town.

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.

Following the draw conducted earlier today at the NFA Soccer House, the remaining eight teams vying for the PstBet NFA Cup championship now know their fate as the fixtures for the quarter-final round were revealed.

Exciting fixtures were revealed for the quarter-final round, promising high-octane clashes on the road to glory.

The Otjozondjupa Health Directorate, in collaboration with the National Blindness Prevention Programme, is conducting a cataract surgical campaign at the Grootfontein district hospital. 

The campaign will be carried out jointly with surgical teams from the Windhoek Central Hospital and international volunteers from Germany and the US, running until May 17th.

The group is led by Dr. Helena Ndume, an internationally renowned philanthropist. 

Otjozondjupa Region Governor James Uerikua is calling for the inclusion of the agricultural sector in the Public Finance Management Bill.

The governor made this call during a stakeholder consultation meeting with the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises on the bill. 

Namibia is said to be lagging behind compared to other African countries that have implemented several public finance management laws.

The proposed bill aims to replace the State Finance Act, which has been in operation for over three decades.

The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) in the Otjozondjupa Region has condemned the Grootfontein municipality's decision to appoint a debt collector.

The council appointed Red Force Debt Management to trace businesses and residents with outstanding accounts.

In a media release, the Otjozondjupa SPYL Regional Secretary, Alfeus Kamati, says Red Force disregards the welfare of residents and only considers the interests of those who hired it. 

Two accidents were reported in the Otjozondjupa Region on Thursday night and early this morning, resulting in the death of one person. 

Inspector Maureen Mbeha alleged that in the first accident, the driver of a white Corolla, who was travelling from Outjo towards Otjiwarongo, attempted to overtake a stationary truck that was on the road and collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle.

Both drivers and passengers escaped with minor injuries, but the vehicles were extensively damaged.

Two people have died from injuries sustained in separate car accidents along the B1 road in the Otjozondjupa region. These accidents occurred as the Easter long weekend came to an end. In addition, a total of 32 people survived with minor injuries in separate minibus accidents in the region.

According to NamPol's Inspector Maureen Mbeha, the community affairs officer for the Otjozondjupa Region both accidents were caused by tire bursts, which resulted in the drivers losing control and the vehicles overturning multiple times.