WINDHOEK–  A mine worker disgruntled over accommodation brought mining activities to a halt at Otjozondu and disrupted the sleep of mine workers and other residents near the mine, with threats of a bomb attack in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The mine’s residential area was woken up at 02:00 for evacuation when mineworker Immanuel Shilongo with what looked like an explosive apparently wrapped around his waist Taliban-style threatened to blow up the entire mine if his demands for better accommodation facilities and transport were not met within 24 hours.

Yesterday the police were still negotiating with Shilongo, who had barricaded himself in his room. However, the police described the situation as under controll compared to the previous night.

“We were called last night by concerned residents that there was a man with a ‘bomb’ and we immediately responded to the call. On our arrival we saw a man with what we believe was a bomb,” a police officer at the scene told New Era yesterday, describing the scene that lasted for hours as “something out of a movie”.

Shilongo, whose age is unknown at this stage, works at Purity Manganese in the Security Explosive Department, at Otjozondu in Otjozondjupa Region. His hoax bomb threats caused the evacuation of the mine residents in Otjozondu, and prompted the entire police force in the Otjozondjupa Region to rush to Otjozondu.

According to a resident who preferred to remain anonymous, Shilongo demanded that the company provide him with better accommodation facilities, transport and a salary increase, among others.

Speaking from China, Director of Purity Manganese Dr Boris Bannai said that he does not understand why the man wanted to blow up the company’s property. “This is one of  our best paid employees, perhaps he wants to create bad publicity,” he said.

 

By Kuzeeko Tjitemisa