Erongo Governor, Neville Andre has urged men countrywide to reach out for support with mental health issues.

Andre addressed the 2nd Edition of the Namibia National Men's Conference, held at Swakopmund under the theme ''Stop suffering in silence and speak out for a solution''.

Andre says events of this nature are significant as they provide a platform for pertinent issues, such as gender-based violence, suicide, and mental health, to be engaged and deliberated on, equipping men in society with vitally important information.

The Otjimbingwe Farmers Association is calling on the office of the Erongo Governor to extend the settlement's boundaries. They say the lack of land threatens their livelihood and that of future generations.

The association demands that the ownership of Farm Neu-Schwaben and Unit B be transferred to the Otjimbingwe Farmers Association so that it might be used as a conservancy for the benefit of the settlement community.

They say the increase in the farming population as a result of migration from other regions puts pressure on the already strained environment.

The Erongo Governor Neville Andre has urged Namibians to be financially educated to avoid falling prey to scammers.

Andre said this during the launch of the first-of-its-kind campaign by the Namibian Deposit Guarantee Authority at Swakopmund.

Andre says during the COVID-19 pandemic, criminals adapted their methods to exploit victims' fears over the coronavirus and are now finding new avenues of attack in the high cost of living crisis.

Erongo Governor Neville Andre is happy with the rental fee collections from government resettlement farms in the region.

Andre, who was speaking at the two-day Erongo Farmers Conference at Omaruru, says the collection is a huge improvement as farmers ignored this in the past.

More than N$106,000 was collected from 41 farming units out of 58 leased by the government.

The money collected is used for rehabilitation and repairs of water and fencing infrastructure at farming units.

Random searches for narcotics and weapons in schools at the coast will continue, in an attempt by school authorities to keep the learning environment safe.

Six public schools at Walvis Bay and Swakopmund received a surprise visit from Erongo Governor Neville Andre, the Education Director, and the police.

One of those schools is Duinesig High School.

The visitors, who brought their well-trained sniffer dogs, searched the learners for every possible hiding spot for drugs and dangerous weapons.

A video clip that went viral on social media, showing a fight between a group of male students in grades 8 and 9 at West Side High School, has drawn the attention of the region's education director and regional leadership.

Teachers, parents and learners expressed terror at the fight that broke out on Thursday at West Side High School in Swakopmund, between a group of Grade 8 and 9 learners.

The cause of fighting was allegedly caused by an older learner being threatened by a new pupil, who had only started at the school earlier in the week.

Rape cases are said to be the most common form of gender-based violence, with nearly 1000 cases being reported annually.

This was revealed by Erongo Governor Neville Andre in his speech read by Derous Benson, Walvis Bay Urban Constituency Councilor, during the "her voice speak up campaign against sexual and gender-based violence."

Rape, a form of sexual violence, has been linked to an increase in mental health issues, HIV/AIDS infections, unsafe abortions, and alcohol and drug abuse.