Report: Fishrot leaves trail of hunger, debt, despair
Struggle persists among fishermen more than five years later
A new report has shone a light on the suffering that those who allegedly lost their jobs due to the Fishrot corruption scandal continue to endure.
"There is a lot of hunger – and I mean physical hunger."
This is what Frederico Links, an Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Namibia researcher, said about the living conditions of the fishermen who say they lost their jobs in the wake of the Fishrot corruption scandal.
The fishermen are now each demanding US$80 000 (about N$1 444 153) each from Samherji, the Icelandic company linked to the Fishrot saga.
On Tuesday, the IPPR released its second report on the impact Fishrot has had on human rights in Namibia.
“We want to show Namibia and the world what the human consequences of corruption are – this is what corruption costs us," Links said at the launch.
The report sheds light on the far-reaching effects of the alleged corruption – from the emotional well-being of the fishermen and how their families were affected by the loss of their jobs to the impact it had on the fishermen's communities.
"White-collar crime is generally considered victimless," Links said, adding that the impact of unemployment has a tremendous impact on the fishermen's psychological well-being.
"One must understand what this means for traditional men who have a certain concept of masculinity," he added.
"It’s not just these men – the impact has echoed through their children, families and entire communities."
Broken lives, dreams
Namibian journalist Ester Mbathera, a member of the research team for the report, recalled her encounters with the fishermen in their northern communities. She highlighted the impact on one fisherman, Petrus Shikongo. “This man had dreams,” she said of Shikongo, who was building a shopping complex near his home in Omutele. His plans included a grocery store, post office and hair salon, but these plans have since been dashed.
Currently, Shikongo keeps a few pigs and chickens, though before he lost his job, he supplied chickens for all the major events in the area, Mbathera said.
Shikongo’s garden is slowly withering, as his water supply has been cut off. He owns two cars that could be used as taxis, but both are broken and he can’t afford to have them repaired.
Devastating ripple effect
The IPPR's report includes statistics from a survey conducted by the researchers.
Among other things, 53% of the fishermen said they and those who depend on them do not have enough food to eat every day, while 42% say that it is still a challenge to put food on the table every day.
The majority, 92%, said they contributed financially to their families, and the same number felt they had lost the respect of their communities. Contributions were made to their communities by 94% of the fishermen. In the survey, 82% of the fishermen reported that they lost friends after losing their jobs.
The majority of respondents never finished school, with only 7.5% having matric while 48% have grade 10, and 28% grade 8.
Almost 90% say they are struggling to find a permanent job in the fishing industry or any other industry, with 98% indicating that they have children – 52% said they have four or more children.
"Their middle age and lack of qualifications are now counting against them in their search for work... people want jobs; they’re not looking for charity,” said Links.
A total of 91% indicated they receive N$4 000 per month under the government’s Employment Redress Programme (GERP).
Although they are grateful for this income, they say it is not enough to meet their basic needs. Many of the fishermen, about 40%, say they are in debt and have had to sell property and assets to stay afloat. More than 95% of the fishermen say they enjoyed their work and would return to the fishing industry if given the opportunity.
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This is what Frederico Links, an Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Namibia researcher, said about the living conditions of the fishermen who say they lost their jobs in the wake of the Fishrot corruption scandal.
The fishermen are now each demanding US$80 000 (about N$1 444 153) each from Samherji, the Icelandic company linked to the Fishrot saga.
On Tuesday, the IPPR released its second report on the impact Fishrot has had on human rights in Namibia.
“We want to show Namibia and the world what the human consequences of corruption are – this is what corruption costs us," Links said at the launch.
The report sheds light on the far-reaching effects of the alleged corruption – from the emotional well-being of the fishermen and how their families were affected by the loss of their jobs to the impact it had on the fishermen's communities.
"White-collar crime is generally considered victimless," Links said, adding that the impact of unemployment has a tremendous impact on the fishermen's psychological well-being.
"One must understand what this means for traditional men who have a certain concept of masculinity," he added.
"It’s not just these men – the impact has echoed through their children, families and entire communities."
Broken lives, dreams
Namibian journalist Ester Mbathera, a member of the research team for the report, recalled her encounters with the fishermen in their northern communities. She highlighted the impact on one fisherman, Petrus Shikongo. “This man had dreams,” she said of Shikongo, who was building a shopping complex near his home in Omutele. His plans included a grocery store, post office and hair salon, but these plans have since been dashed.
Currently, Shikongo keeps a few pigs and chickens, though before he lost his job, he supplied chickens for all the major events in the area, Mbathera said.
Shikongo’s garden is slowly withering, as his water supply has been cut off. He owns two cars that could be used as taxis, but both are broken and he can’t afford to have them repaired.
Devastating ripple effect
The IPPR's report includes statistics from a survey conducted by the researchers.
Among other things, 53% of the fishermen said they and those who depend on them do not have enough food to eat every day, while 42% say that it is still a challenge to put food on the table every day.
The majority, 92%, said they contributed financially to their families, and the same number felt they had lost the respect of their communities. Contributions were made to their communities by 94% of the fishermen. In the survey, 82% of the fishermen reported that they lost friends after losing their jobs.
The majority of respondents never finished school, with only 7.5% having matric while 48% have grade 10, and 28% grade 8.
Almost 90% say they are struggling to find a permanent job in the fishing industry or any other industry, with 98% indicating that they have children – 52% said they have four or more children.
"Their middle age and lack of qualifications are now counting against them in their search for work... people want jobs; they’re not looking for charity,” said Links.
A total of 91% indicated they receive N$4 000 per month under the government’s Employment Redress Programme (GERP).
Although they are grateful for this income, they say it is not enough to meet their basic needs. Many of the fishermen, about 40%, say they are in debt and have had to sell property and assets to stay afloat. More than 95% of the fishermen say they enjoyed their work and would return to the fishing industry if given the opportunity.
– [email protected]
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