Fishers call on govt for urgent help

Workers from Etosha Fishing Corporation (Pty) Ltd and Kuiseb Fishing (Pty) Ltd held a peaceful demonstration in Windhoek in front of the agriculture and fisheries ministry last Friday, urging government to intervene in what they described as an ongoing crisis in Namibia’s fishing industry.Two separate petitions were handed over, one by Elise Werner, representing Etosha Fishing workers, and another by Edwin Korupanda, representing 47 fishers employed by Kuiseb Fishing (Pty) Ltd. The ministry&#039;s executive director Annely Haiphene received both petitions on behalf of fisheries minister Mac Hengari.Closures fearedIn their petition, Etosha Fishing workers raised concerns over an eight-year moratorium on pilchard fishing, which has left the company struggling to stay afloat. Workers noted that despite a small allocation of horse mackerel, it is not enough to to keep operations running.“For more than eight years, the government has restricted the fishing industry from catching pilchard, and the small horse mackerel allocations given are not enough to sustain our factory,” said Werner.Etosha Fishing, once one of two companies harvesting and canning pilchard, is now the only remaining cannery in Namibia. Workers managed to keep the factory running by importing pilchard from Morocco, but this became financially unsustainable in 2022.“The workers of Etosha Fishing only worked for three months last year and have not worked at all this year,” Werner said. Employees say they currently receive only four and a half hours of pay while sitting at home, which they argue is not enough to survive.The struggling workers also criticised a marine survey conducted by government, which was supposed to determine fish stock levels over 12 months but was instead completed in eight months, according to the petitioners. “We can not keep waiting because the season starts in April and runs until October. We need to discuss this matter without further delay,” Werner stressed.Hiring system questioned Meanwhile, in a separate petition, Korupanda, representing 47 fishers employed by Talent Tide Employment and Fishing Services (Pty) Ltd, a company connected to Kuiseb Fishing (Pty) Ltd, explained that the fisheries ministry allocated a fishing quota to Kuiseb Fishing with the expectation that they would employ fishers directly.However, instead, Kuiseb Fishing reportedly created Talent Tide Employment and Fishing Services, which now acts as a third-party labour hire company, according to the fishers.“The company which employs us does not have any agreement with the ministry and does not have any fishing rights,” Korupanda pointed out. The workers also highlighted the introduction of a pension fund, allegedly without worker consultation. “The company contributes only N$ 41.25 per month per worker, which adds up to just N$9 900 over 20 years – this is daylight exploitation,” he argued.A call for urgent actionBoth groups of workers are demanding an urgent meeting between their union, the Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers Union (Nasawu), company management, and the fisheries minister to resolve these issues before the fishing season begins this month. With 420 jobs at Etosha Fishing at risk, workers emphasised that the last remaining fish cannery in Namibia must be treated as a national asset.

Fishers call on govt for urgent help

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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Fishers call on govt for urgent help

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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