WALVIS BAY – The Fisheries Observer Agency (FOA) CEO Stanley Ndara says they do not have the legal authority to arrest or prosecute anyone found violating Namibia’s fishing laws. Ndara was responding after the agency found itself caught in the crossfire last week, when horse mackerel vessels reportedly landed pilchards estimated to be worth over...
Author: Eveline de Klerk (Eveline de Klerk )
Kuisebmond to get MSME park
WALVIS BAY – The Erongo Regional Council will construct a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Park with the aim of addressing youth unemployment and economic exclusion in Kuisebmond. This is part of the council’s attempt to further promote township economy and reduce poverty within the Walvis Bay community. The park will be built on...
Namibia ships 45 000 tonnes of salt
WALVIS BAY – Namibia made history yesterday afternoon when the country shipped its first consignment of goods – 45 000 tonnes of salt destined for Nigeria. This happened under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. The Minister of International Relations and Trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, described it as a defining moment in Namibia’s economic...
Zaamwani flags deliberate pilchard bycatch
WALVIS BAY – Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform minister Inge Zaamwani said there is currently no targeted pilchard fishing taking place. She admitted that some of the bycatch could be a deliberate act. The minister made these remarks while defending the ongoing pilchard fishing moratorium. Zaamwani stated that recent landings are undermining efforts to...
Walvis water challenges far from over
WALVIS BAY – NamWater confirmed a delay in the procurement of critical materials needed to restore the failing water infrastructure at the coastal town of Walvis Bay. The town has been battling water challenges due to ailing system, coupled with vandalism and theft that further worsen the situation. Walvis Bay primarily gets its water from the...
Fishing sector on tenterhooks
WALVIS BAY – Pilchards worth over N$23 million were landed by six midwater trawlers in single trips they took between April and June this year. This is despite a moratorium on pilchard fishing in place since 2018. The catches constitute over 1.4 million kilogrammes of sardines landed, reigniting tensions between the freezer trawler fleet and...
Salary differences irk Merlus staff
WALVIS BAY – Workers employed under the Merlus Fishing Group are demanding urgent salary adjustments and fair working conditions, saying discrepancies in wages and benefits have created division and frustration among employees. Close to 200 workers from Abroma Fishing, Seagull Fishing and Cormorant Fishing—subsidiaries of Merlus—staged a peaceful lunchtime demonstration on Monday, during which they...
Xinfeng gets greenlight for lithium exports
SWAKOPMUND – Xinfeng Investments, currently under investigation for illegal mining, has been given the green light to export 16 000 tonnes of lithium concentrate from Uis. Trucks carrying the ore were already spotted earlier this week leaving Uis for Walvis Bay, where the shipment is expected to be exported. Xinfeng’s operations were shut down in...
Fishing industry fumes over illegal pilchard catch
WALVIS BAY – The Small Pelagic Industry Association has slammed the ongoing illegal harvesting of pilchards by horse mackerel vessels, warning that Namibia’s remaining pilchard processors are at risk of collapsing. The fishery has been under a government-imposed moratorium since 2015. Footage shared with New Era shows a horse mackerel trawler sorting and packing large...
Sankwasa reboots Dâure Daman chieftaincy …says customary procedures were overstepped
SWAKOPMUND – The legitimacy of Zacharias Seibeb’s position as chief of the Dâure Daman Traditional Authority has once again come under scrutiny. This is following recommendations by Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa for a complete restart of the succession process. In a letter addressed to Seibeb, Sankwasa confirmed that the traditional chieftaincy, which...