The branch of the Independent Patriots for Change in Erongo has called on the mining industry to plough back into the communities in which they operate.

Its Chairperson, Aloysius Kangulu, says his party wants the industry to add value to resources instead of exporting them in raw form.

The IPC leadership in the Erongo Region addressed a media conference at Walvis Bay.

Echoing fellow political parties who recently called on the mining industry to ensure benefits are shared with community members, the IPC urged the government to intervene.

Residents of Omatjete Settlement and surrounding villages in the Daures Constituency have joined in the fray to get the Minister of Mines and Energy, Tom Alweendo, to keenly look into dealings of small-scale mines and license holders.

At the community meeting with the minister, they argued that some mines are not only illegal but are also not assisting locals to benefit from the natural resources mined there.

The residents stressed how Chinese-owned mining companies mistreat locals despite the millions of dollars they are collecting in revenue.

Walvis Bay Murder accused Azaan Madisia and her brother Steven Mulundu will hear their fate on 16 May.

The two stand accused of killing and burying 21-year-old Shanon Wasserfall at Walvis Bay in April 2020.

Judge Christie Liebenberg heard the final arguments in the Windhoek High Court on Monday and is expected to give his verdict in May.

The siblings at the start of their trial entered a not-guilty plea on the charge of murder but admitted they buried Wasserfall's body.

Another group of landless residents at Walvis Bay have expressed frustration to the council over the slow pace of delivering serviced plots to them.

The group called "Tulipamwe" marched to the municipality and handed over a petition demanding council to give residents plots at Farm 37, an area about 10 kilometers from the town. 

Members of the Tulipamwe group say they are low-income earners who rent backyard shacks in the harbor town.

About N$300 million is needed to service Farm 37.

This is according to Municipal Councillor Victor Leroy, who has emphasized that there is no serviced land available in Walvis Bay to sell to landless residents. 

Speaking at Thursday's council meeting, IPC Councillor Leroy Victor mentioned a few areas within Walvis Bay that were scheduled to be serviced but were not. 

Farm 37 has divided the Walvis Bay Council, with Swapo councillors slamming the decision to relocate people to the area, which has limited services installed.

Seven of the nine councillors present at a council meeting on Thursday voted in favour of moving residents to Farm 37, a location identified to decongest Walvis Bay. 

Last month, the mayor said the Council is ready to relocate the first 50 people to Farm 37, on the outskirts of Walvis Bay. 

Although there are only communal services at Farm 37, on the outskirts of Walvis Bay, residents there have been urged to focus on the fact that they will soon become landowners.

Walvis Bay Mayor Trevino Forbes says there is enough land in the new township for all residents.

Farm 37 is less than 10 kilometers east of Walvis Bay. It was identified in 2016 as the solution to the shortage of housing land in the harbor town.

Since then, thousands of landless residents have been waiting for the council to develop the area.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety, and Security (MoHAISS) has dismissed information circulating on social media alleging favoritism in the issuance of Namibian citizenship and permits to foreign nationals who purchased residential property in the "Presidents Links Estate" at Walvis Bay.

In a statement, the Home Affairs Ministry says it welcomes investment into the country and issues qualified foreign investors with relevant permits in line with laws and procedures.

A community educator at Walvis Bay, Hubert Mukosho, has urged parents to be more alert in picking up signs of substance abuse in their children.

Mukosho says when children are using illegal substances, they are most likely to switch their moods and personalities.

Sent to prison in 2009, Hubert Mukosho has become a community educator who graduated with an Honors Degree in Life-long Learning and Community Education. 

The Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister Derek Klazen has called on local entrepreneurs and the fishing industry to add value to all their products.

Klazen visited a polystyrene manufacturing plant in Walvis Bay.

The plant is owned by the Merlus Group of Companies, which invested about N$50 million to acquire the land.

Merlus is a fishing company that processes and exports fish to the European market. 

20% of the fish is exported as fresh hake by flying it from Walvis Bay, where it arrives in Spain the next day.