Plans to improve the Otavi Magistrate's Court are on the recommendation cards following a visit by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Capital Projects and Legal Affairs, which found the building not conducive to court sessions.

This was confirmed by committee chairperson Tjekero Tweya during a courtesy call to the Otjozondjupa Governors Office, represented by Regional Council Chairperson Marlene Mbakera.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources, in its oversight visits to aquaculture projects of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, disclosed that fish production faces seasonal constraints due to the absence of greenhouse plastic covers, limiting the capacity for year-round fish production.

Hilaria Mukapuli presented the findings in the National Assembly, exposing fundamental hurdles that urgently require attention for the country to strengthen its position in aquaculture.

The National Council has built the capacity of its Members of Parliament to become effective lawmakers.

Speaking at the opening of the 10th session of the council this morning, Chairperson Lukas Muha said they have managed to empower their members in various areas in terms of diplomacy, protocol, and etiquette.

He applauded the parliamentary standing committees for their commitment and successful undertaking of oversight visits during the July–November interval.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration embarked on an oversight visit to domestic tax offices and customs entry points, including border posts and airports in the Zambezi and the Kavango East and West regions.

They identified a shortage of staff across all offices, ministries, and agencies responsible for service delivery at the border posts and customs entry points.

Swapo MP Natangwe Ithete said this during his report delivered in the National Assembly.

The issue of informal traders across the country was on the agenda this morning at Parliament as the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration sought to address the social protection of vendors.

The Committee Chairperson, Natangwe Ithete, stated that vendors contribute to the economic growth of Namibia, but they are often treated unfairly by the authorities, including the police, which is not desirable.

The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Dudu Murorua, has called on local authorities and public institutions to scrutinise their record-keeping for the purpose of effective service delivery.

Murorua said this in an interview with nbc News at Oshakati during their week-long public hearing on the utilisation of public funds by local authorities.

The committee held a public hearing with the Katima Mulilo Town Council on the utilisation of public funds in the financial year that ended in March 2019.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources and Community Development held a consultative meeting this week with the former employees of Air Namibia.

The meeting was in response to the two petitions submitted by the disgruntled employees of the now-liquidated airline to the National Assembly.

The former employees appealed to the committee to summon stakeholders to explain the delays in the payment of their severance packages.

When the nbc board was asked by the Committee if it sought permission or arrangements from the employees on how to effect the deductions from their salaries, board member Inonge Mainga said the nbc signed the rules with NAPWU, which represented the workers.

nbc's Board Chairperson Lazarus Jacobs and Director General Stanley Similo informed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Recourses that the nbc could have handled the employees' strike differently.

Similo together with his management, accompanied by members of the corporation's board, made their second appearance before the committee.

In 2021, nbc employees went on a nationwide strike, demanding an 8% salary increment and for all workers on one-month contracts to be employed on a full-time basis.

The Balyerwa Conservancy in the Zambezi Region, currently relying on hunting quotas for its operations, now plans to expand into other sources of income generation to ensure the sustainability of activities and benefits provided to its members.

The management shared this information with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Natural Resources, which is currently visiting various conservancies in the region to assess how the funds generated by these conservancies benefit the community.