Govt vows to protect workers

At a time when Namibia is faced with a cost-of-living crisis which has seen thousands barely making ends meet, government has promised to protect and advance the welfare of workers across the country.

Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila made this commitment in a message to government employees yesterday to commemorate Workers’ Day. The prime minister commended workers around the world for their great efforts and sacrifices in pursuit of a better life for themselves and their communities.

This year, Namibia commemorated Workers’ Day under the theme ‘Namibian workers united for economic growth and development in the Year of Expectations and beyond’.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the success realised over the 34 years since independence is owed in great part to the hard work of workers who leave the comfort of their homes and families to render services to their communities.

“At times, they confront hazardous situations in their line of duty, as was the case during Covid-19. In the private sector, workers drive the productivity and profitability of businesses.

As we commemorate this day, government rededicates itself to the continued protection and development of our workers to ensure that as they drive our country’s development, they too are empowered to live a life of dignity and to realise their potential as individuals.”

In its message, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said this year, the celebration of Workers’ Day is marked by a sense of urgency for renewed commitment to social justice.

“As we look towards the future, let us renew our commitment to social justice; to ensuring that economic growth translates into improved living standards and better working conditions for all. Let us forge stronger partnerships and deepen our dialogue, for it is only through collective action and mutual understanding that we can overcome the challenges that lie ahead,” the United Nations agency said.

Hard at work

Meanwhile, to commemorate Workers’ Day, Namibian Sun sat down with Xumenikomesho ‘Tosh’ Shinana, founder of Vision 2030 for Bags by Ours, in Ondangwa. Shinana’s trendy bags have recently caused a stir online as they cost only N$50.

While many enjoyed the day off, Shinana was hard at work trying to meet the high demand for his product. The backlog currently stands at 4 000, he said.

With Namibia’s unemployment rate increasing daily, Shinana said he tries his best to remunerate his employees fairly. “You cannot just say you will pay this person N$2 000. Maybe it is because we have personal relationships with our employees and we know their families and their struggles. We try our best to give [them] a decent wage they can live off.”

On his business journey, he said he started the company alongside two friends in 2021.

“My grandmother forced us to read a lot. Eish! There was no rest from those books. My father was a teacher, so perhaps the genes also came in handy,” he said of the path that brought him here.

Gap in the market

A university drop-out, Shinana said he and his friends initially imported counterfeit products to resell them locally as they were quite affordable. “Each time we sold the items, I looked at the bags and I thought ‘why can we not make them ourselves? It does not look complicated’. We did this for at least four years before I went back to the village when Covid-19 broke out,” he said.

During the pandemic, and with the borders closed, they saw a gap in the market and began producing face masks with a machine he bought for N$800.

“I then started going to people with machines to put items together for me. After they assisted me for some time, I saved up and bought a machine that cost N$9 000.

“I knew the [mask business] would not last for long since the pandemic was about to end. This is how we got into the bags. We struggled a bit because we didn’t have fashion sense and little to no understanding of what women liked or expected,” he shared.

“The products and materials to make the bags are also not locally available. We did not have accessories for the bags, so we had to innovate a lot.”

Pulling out one of their bags, Shinana revealed that they use upholstery material, meant for car seats.

“We cannot use leather because it is expensive, but we had to improvise. The bags are quite nice and our clients are happy, but we need to improve them further,” he admitted.

Shinana added that the company needs financial assistance to buy more equipment as well as to ensure capacity-building and additional manpower.