The Nama community from across the country gathered at Keetmanshoop to celebrate their rich cultural heritage during the four-day annual Nama Cultural Festival. 

Now in its fifth year, the festival creates a platform for the Nama community to showcase various aspects of their culture. 

Its main objective is to preserve the Nama cultural heritage and strengthen the spirit, identity, and dignity of the Nama community. 

Political leadership and traditional leaders in the ||Kharas Region are in support of the parliamentary motion to erect an ever-lighting shrine in honour of the legacy of the late Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi. 

They rallied behind the motion during consultations with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources and Community Development at Keetmanshoop.

Kaptein Witbooi, affectionately known as Outa !Nanseb, was the leader of the |Khowese clan, a sub-tribe of the Nama people. 

The  ||Kharas Education Directorate has denounced the picketing of parents against the newly appointed principal at Minna Sachs Primary School at Keetmanshoop.

A group of parents alleged that the appointed principal was not recommended by the school board. 

The protestors also raised the issue that the principal was not speaking Khoekhoegowab at a school attended by children coming predominantly from this language group. 

Teaching and learning at Keetmanshoop-based Don Bosco Primary School were disrupted today as learners had to mop up flooded classrooms following heavy rains on Tuesday. 

Benedictus |Narib, the principal of Don Bosco Primary School, says the rainwater flooded two blocks of classrooms. 

The principal described Tuesday's natural calamity as a river flowing into classrooms from a nearby hilltop. 

Apart from an electricity blackout, says |Narib, no major damages were caused by the rainstorm. 

Light to moderate rains recorded over the weekend brought relief from the heat wave in some parts of the country. 

Over the past week, temperatures have hovered between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius in places such as Keetmanshoop, which received some light showers on Friday and Saturday. 

Figures revealed on the Namibia Meteorological Services website show that the highest rainfall of 19.2 millimetres measured today was recorded in Windhoek.

Burglars caused extensive damage to the Keetmanshoop !Homs-Ai SME Park when they smashed the premises' glass doors to gain entry to offices and SME stalls. 

The break-in occurred over the weekend. 

Johannes Kisting, ||Kharas Regional Head for the Ministry of Industrialization and Trade, says police arrested one suspect in connection with the burglary. 

The regional head could, however, not say what items were stolen from the offices and the SME stalls during the burglary. 

In a bid to empower underprivileged residents of Keetmanshoop to become self-reliant, the local ZTT AME Church congregation formed an initiative dubbed the EMEME Partnership.

The initiative, registered as a non-profit organisation, was officially launched during a fundraising gala dinner at Keetmanshoop.

Reverend Leslie Leukes, spiritual leader of ZTT AME Church Congregation, says the name EMEME is based on the pillars of education, mission, evangelism, management, and economic empowerment.

A family of eight at Keetmanshoop in the ||Kharas Region had a narrow escape after the roof of their house was blown off by heavy winds accompanied by rain on Saturday.

Speaking to nbc News after the incident, Johannes Brandt, the owner of the house, says that although no one was injured, the estimated damage could be in the thousands. He says his entire family is in shock, as no one expected this.

Brandt says that the Keetmanshoop Municipality immediately cut off the electricity supply to the house as much of the electrical wiring was exposed.

The Keetmanshoop regional office of the Ombudsman has been inundated with complaints from learners relating to their suspension and banning from classrooms, corporal punishment, and forceful cutting of hair.   

This was revealed by the regional office head, Sylvester Sibungo when he addressed educators at the annual principals meeting at Keetmanshoop.

The Fonteintjie Fish Farming Community Project at Keetmanshoop has almost lost all its fish stock due to a power outage.  

The power outage came as a result of an electricity supply disconnection for the project by Keetmanshoop Municipality in December last year because of an unpaid debt of more than N$1 million.  

The project manager of Fonteintjie Fish Farm,  Peter Simasiku, says thousands of fish fingerlings have died to date due to a lack of oxygen. 

He explained that the power outage caused a loss of oxygen in the fish ponds.