Tsumeb
President Hage Geingob will visit farms across the country on a fact-finding mission to ensure farmers provide adequate sanitation facilities for their workers.
Speaking at the inauguration of Dundee Precious Metals’ N$3.9 billion sulphuric acid plant near Tsumeb, Geingob was unequivocal on the issue, saying good sanitation should be a priority for everyone.
The state-of the-art sulphuric acid plant was built by Dundee Precious Metals to reduce air pollution and the number of pollutants in the air around the copper smelter in a move that has received widespread praise.
Geingob said he would make time to tour farms to assess the situation on the various farms, stressing that the provision of basic sanitation does not necessarily mean having beautiful houses, but descent shelter at least for farmworkers.
The new acid plant will capture the unpleasant, unhealthy sulphuric dioxide fumes from the smelter operation that have for many years negatively affected employees at the smelter, as well as the nearby community.
In the same vein Geingob lashed out at bus and other drivers that park on the road side to relieve themselves, saying its indecent and unacceptable to so.
“Some of these drivers don’t even go around the car. Instead they just do it (urinate) anywhere. This is unacceptable” Geingob stressed.
He implored police officers to be on the lookout for such perpetrators, so that they can be disciplined: “I will make a law that will outlaw such behaviour, so these people can be disciplined.” Police officers should take up this issue, Geingob said.
In a related development Geingob announced on Tuesday that government will construct 50 000 rural toilets over the next four years under the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP). The president also undertook to eliminate the so-called “bucket system” by 2017.
Bucket toilets were implemented for black communities in poorer areas under the apartheid regime. It involves the use of an ordinary bucket as a toilet. It is crude, degrading and presents significant health risks, users say.