Iuze Mukube
For 27 years now, members of the Association of Mineworkers Beneficiaries Namibia have waited to derive benefits from the Namibia Miners Investment Trust Fund. This came to light during last week’s demonstration by AMBENA from the Katutura Community Arts Centre to the offices of the Mine-Workers Union of Namibia (MUN), where they handed over a petition against the Namibia Mineworkers Investment Holdings Company (NAM-MIC).
According to AMBENA’s treasurer Ismael Araeb, MUN deducted
N$600 000 from them to start-up the trust fund in 1997. The fund was supposed to insure their livelihood in cases of unemployment, injury and retirement. “In 27 years, no one got anything – nothing, no benefits and no money – and mind you, these people benefiting from our money are people we enlisted to help us manage the money on our behalf,” Araeb said.
He further stated that NAM-MIC was to act as the business arm of MUN – but still, they got nothing in terms of benefits.
“The trust fund was started because in those years, there were no labour laws or anything that would help us when something happened. So, the trust fund was to help us when injured, retrenched or unemployed, or when we retired,” stated Araeb.
Agreeing with him was AMBENA chairman Gabriel Kayundu, who stated that the main reason for NAM-MIC’s creation was to improve and uplift the members of the MUN.
“But since that year 1997 up to today, no members who intended to benefit from that trust have
benefitted. [We are] disappointed that 27 years have gone down the drain, wasted, because the trust fund that was supposed to benefit the members has benefited no one,” he lamented.
Their efforts to seek an audience with NAM-MIC, Namibia Mineworkers Investment Trust (NAMIT) and MUN have fallen on deaf ears.
He further demanded that MUN call an extraordinary congress to address their concerns.
Kayundu also demanded prompt payment to all beneficiaries by the trust fund, and transparency from NAM-MIC.
“We are requesting you [MUN] that after receiving the petition, you request an urgent meeting with AMBENA leaders, and allocate logistics to the NAM-MIC trustee funds ticket, requesting answers or a full report within two weeks. If not, we will take the next step,” he said.
AMBENA’s member, Gloria Molutsi, stated that she was a beneficiary for her late husband John Molutsi, who died without getting anything from the trust. She is now demanding that NAM-MIC pay their money.
“I travelled yesterday afternoon from Grootfontein to come here because I am suffering, and my husband worked for Rossing mine for 20 years. As his beneficiaries with a lot of children between us, we really need the money. We cannot afford anything – even school,” she said.
Meanwhile, MUN general secretary Fillepus Ampweya acknowledged receipt of the petition.
“We will immediately circulate it to the relevant persons. We have taken note of the ultimatum as well, and we will sensitise the leadership to the urgency in response to your petition,” he said last week upon receiving the petition.
New Era got hold of NAM-MIC CEO Joshua Kaitungwa, who said they would study the petition after receiving it. “I don’t have all the details of the petition because MUN received it,” he said. –mukubeiuze@gmail.com