The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources says the majority of resettled farmers in the Omaruru and Karibib areas are putting in extra effort to become commercial despite water problems.

The committee visited about 10 farmers resettled by the government in the Erongo Region to assess their success and challenges.

Most resettlement farms visited at Karibib and Omaruru by the parliamentarians are run by women.

Ombara Manasse Zeraua from the Zeraua Traditional Authority is among the 58 farmers resettled by the government in Erongo.

There are online scammers that have been targeting various Government agencies; one of the most recent is the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform.

nbc News anchor Celma Ndhikwa spoke to Jona Musheko, the Ministry's spokesperson, about recent scams targeting farmers.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform will be carrying out an awareness campaign on the Namibia Livestock Identification and Traceability System and stock brands.

The campaign will be undertaken by the ministry's Directorate of Veterinary Services and the Meat Board of Namibia from the 17th of this month until the 31st of October.

The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness and educate farmers on the appropriate use of cattle eartags and stock brands, as well as provide guidance on how to register on NamLITS online.

The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, says MeatCo still remains a crucial entity in the meat market and that it has no immediate replacement.

Schlettwein noted that although the government cannot keep up with bailing out MeatCo all the time, there are currently no plans to replace the entity, and it remains the heartbeat of the livestock sector.

The Governor of the Kavango West Region, Sirkka Ausiku, has called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Forestry to improve its procurement process to allow green schemes to run effectively.

Hausiku made the remarks when she visited the Sikondo Green Scheme.

Ausiku says she is happy with the progress at Sikondo Green Scheme and is optimistic there could be a bumper harvest if the ministry improves its procurement process.

Despite the good results, the manager of the green scheme, Maxwell Nghidinua, says the farm is faced with challenges.

Villagers of Oikokola and Amaupa in the Omusati Region marched to the office of Governor Erginus Endjala to hand over their petition demanding clean drinking water.

In their petition, the demonstrators say that at Independence, Namibia adopted Vision 2030, promising to improve and increase safe drinking water and sanitation in both rural and urban areas.

This is still not the case at Oikokola and Amaupa villages, they argue.

Rehoboth residents are not happy with the town council's introduction of prepaid water metres without first engaging with residents.

Some residents claim that since 2015, they have been using public taps with no other service offered, such as ablution facilities.

Other issues include services being provided without communication with the residents, tenders given to outsiders, and high charges for water despite low wages. 

The residents say they elected the leaders knowing they knew their struggles.

Community members in Otjimbingwe and the surrounding areas have emphasised the importance of involving community development organisations in the allocation and registration of communal land rights for groups.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform is consulting with stakeholders in the Erongo Region and other areas regarding the formulation of regulations for the allocation of communal land rights to groups.

Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, has highlighted that the division between the commercial, disease-free livestock sector south of the red line and the communal farming sector in the northern part of the country, where diseases still prevail, is a lingering consequence of the colonial divide and rule strategy.

Schlettwein made this remark during the announcement of the new Meat Board, expressing the importance of recognising and rectifying the historical inequalities and divisions that persist in the livestock sector.
 

The Opuwo Town Council is in consultation with stakeholders to find a solution to the water challenge in the town.

Mayor Rosa Tjeundo also highlighted some of the council's successes to date during the 10th Jubilee Opuwo Trade Fair.