The farming community in the Otjinene constituency of the Omaheke Region has called on law enforcement officers not to release stock theft suspects on bail and to ensure that they are given long prison sentences.

Stock theft threatens the livelihoods of already struggling local farming communities, who are already faced with the burden of drought.

The farming community's group spokesperson, Uaenena Zakaapi, says recently a farmer lost four cattle, and a month earlier another one was robbed of 25 small stock.

Farmers in the Otjinene Constituency have been advised to sell off some of their livestock as their prices are dropping due to poor rainfall.

The call was made by various experts during a farmers' seminar held at Otjinene in the Omaheke Region.

Addressing farmers, Technical Advisor at MeaCo Namibia, Paul Tjaimba, shared the status of livestock prices, saying that South Africa is opting to buy from local farmers in that country, leaving Namibian livestock producers in limbo.

This, he said, has a huge impact on livestock prices in Namibia.

Being the catalyst for empowering young people in the country, the Ministry of Sport, Youth, and National Service has embarked on a week-long seminar at Omaheke's Otjinene Constituency.

The meeting is aimed at equipping young people with skills in education, health-related matters, and business.

Speaking at the official opening of the workshop at Otjinene, regional youth officer Jefta Mbuende said youngsters need to be capacitated with the few resources available to be part of the regional development.

Strong wind and rainfall have left some families at Otjiuaneho in the Otjinene Constituency destitute as the roofs of their houses were blown off and power lines are down.

The village headman, Urbanus Hengari, bemoaned the situation, which he says has become a regular occurrence at the start of each rainy season.

The village headman narrates that the strong wind has caused extensive damage to the infrastructure and surrounding areas.

The community of Okahungu Village in the Otjinene Constituency received seeds of maize and cowpeas through the office of the Omaheke Regional Governor.

Governor Pijoo Nganate called on the community to work hard to become self-sustainable, saying the seeds would help unlock food security at the household level.

Speaking at Okahungu, Regional Governor Pijoo Nganate urged the community to go the extra mile and spend time on their crop fields.

Food, he says, has become an expensive commodity.

A group of fishing companies that benefited from fishing quotas has donated laptops worth N$60,000 to the Usiel Ndjavera Primary School in the Otjinene Constituency.

The Managing Director at Moza fishing company says education is a shared responsibility that all should willingly take up.

"We saw it as a necessity to plough back into the community by providing these laptops to the school and making sure that they will lighten up the learners and also lift the burden of not having equipment to do the necessary work at school."