The Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Evelyn !Nawases-Taeyele said nine new townships in Keetmanshopp, Mariental and Koes had been approved. 

'Land is life and a fundamental right to humanity.' 

The Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia (ELCRN), Abraham ||Keibeb, made the remarks during a land donation ceremony at Mariental. 

The Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus, has called on Namibians to protect their independence.

Theofelus made the call during the Independence Day celebration at Mariental.

All is set for the Hardap Region to celebrate the country's 36th Independence Day anniversary on Saturday. Mariental will host the regional celebrations this year.

Namibia will celebrate 36 years of independence on the 21st of March, with regional celebrations set to take place across the country. In the Hardap Region, residents will gather in Mariental to partake in various festivities, including cultural performances.

The Namibia Local Authority Workers Union (NALAWU)  has demanded a 3% salary increase for Mariental municipal workers during a lunch-hour protest march. 

Rainwater from a leaking roof flooded parts of Mariental State Hospital.

Videos of the water leakage, showing nurses mopping up rainwater, circulated widely on social media.

The NBC News team reached out to Hardap Health Directorate Regional Director Yvonne Stephanus, who declined to comment.

Residents of Mariental's Extension Five informal settlement accuse the municipality of relocating them to a flood-prone area after heavy rain flooded their homes this week.

Residents say they feel hopeless after rainwater flooded their homes and destroyed their belongings.

Just over three months after a horrific incident on the road between the Hardap Dam and Mariental, which claimed 16 lives, those involved and affected by the road crash still find it difficult to come to terms.

A 58-year-old truck driver is in stable condition after a truck accident early this morning roughly 30 km from Mariental on the road to Gibeon.