Sabina Onemushi Nantinda has been passionate about sewing for many years. 

Although she currently works as a security guard, her dream of starting her own sewing business lives on. 

All she needs to start her own business is a bit of training on the finer tailoring intricacies and a dependable sewing machine. 

She and countless others are tasked with navigating a tough labour market while at the same time chasing their dreams where they are ready to trade in shiftwork for entrepreneurship, sewing-machinery and self-employment.

Nantinda was born in 1991 at Ombathi in the Omusati region.

 She attended Ombathi Combined School from Grades 0 to 8 in the Ogongo constituency.

 She then moved to a school in Okahao for Grades 9 and 10. 

After she saw that her grade 10 results were not favourable, Sabina decided to turn her attention to a new path. 

“After I failed grade 10, I thought of starting a career in sewing to create a better life,” she recalled.

Not wanting to return to her home village, where she observed many drifting into alcohol abuse and unproductive patterns, Nantinda made a bold move. 

In 2013, she travelled to Windhoek and started working in a bar. 

But the salary there was low and unreliable, and the work did not fit her aspirations.

In 2014, she visited a friend working as a security guard.

 Soon after, she got her first job as a guard. 

However, that company lost its contracts just six months later.

In 2015, she joined her third security firm and began earning a better salary with which she could care more effectively for herself.

She is very aware of the challenges in the security-guard sector – many companies depend on contract renewals. 

 When contracts are lost, guards are often retrenched. 

Nantinda joined her current employer, PIS Security Services, in 2021.

“Women can be good security guards. We undergo the same training as men. With this training, women are just as good,” she said. “The major factor is that guards must be adequately equipped, particularly those on night shift. If guards are properly equipped, then they can effectively and efficiently carry out their duties,” she added.

Today, Nantinda is a mother of three children – two girls and one boy – and she still holds firm to her sewing dream. 

She wants to start her own business of making children’s clothes, men’s wear, scarves and the like. 

“Once I have received some good training and have a machine, then I can make items that I can start selling around my location,” Nantinda said. 

“I cannot be a security guard until I am 60. I must start my own business,” she said.

 She added that many of the items she intends to make will
also be sold in the north of Namibia, where she has an extensive support network of family and friends.

“While I am working towards my dream, I must thank God for having a job. These days security companies do not pay the same. However, the difference in salary scales was visible immediately when the minimum wage was introduced and gazetted for security guards. My message to Namibians, particularly to businesses, is: security guards work hard, and they must be valued and respected,” she said.

Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) data reveals that the official unemployment rate in Namibia rose to 36.9 % in 2023, up from 33.4 % in 2018. 

The country’s working-age population (aged 15 and older) is estimated at about over 1.8 million, of which more than 867 000 persons are in the labour force.

 Some 320 440 of those were unemployed in 2023. 

 At the time, the employment-to-population ratio stood at around 29%. These figures underscore the difficult job market that many Namibians face, particularly those entering or working in sectors such as security. In the security guard sector specifically, a new minimum wage order was introduced. 

As of 1 January 2025, the minimum hourly wage for security guards is N$13.50. 

This is scheduled to increase to N$16.00 per hour in 2026 and N$18.00 per hour in 2027. 

Prior to this phased increase, entry-level guards were reported as earning as little as N$8.50 per hour or even less in some non-compliant cases.  

– hilmanalupe@gmail.com