Stefanus Nambara

NKURENKURU – Workers at the Mangetti Cattle Ranch in Kavango West region peacefully demonstrated against their current employer Namibia Industrialisation Development Agency (NIDA) over what they term as ill-treatment.

In a written petition, read by a senior labourer Garus Kasingana, the disgruntled workers indicated a number of concerns against the agency that manages the ranch since 2018. The workers claim they work long hours, they are not paid overtime and have not received their promised salary increment since the agency took over the cattle ranch in 2018.  The petition further states there is a lack of transport for them to visit a hospital when they or a family member gets sick.

“If an employee is sick, no cars are made available and one has to arrange for themselves, which, at times, is impossible to reach the hospital,” read the petition.

“In addition to that, there is only one employee per cattle post, approximately 10-30km apart from each other,” the petition also indicated. This, the workers feel, it is not safe for a single person to be alone in the middle of the bushes, as there are wild animals there.

They also claim they are mistreated by loading and offloading them at the gravel road, which they said is 1.5 km away from their houses. This, they indicated, is a result of the company’s vehicles that have been stopped from going into the location. They claim this also happens even when employees have loads, such as bags of flour, to carry; thus, they are forced to carry it by themselves, as there are no taxis around.

They also claim unfair dismissal and suspension, and that the agency’s policies were not made available to them.

The cries, they indicated, have been ongoing for long now – and in April this year, they took it up with the agency and also sought help from various offices but no satisfactory solution has been found yet, as the problems continue.

They are now demanding company executive director Uparure Kuvare and section manager John Alugodhi steps down from their positions.

“If they do not step down from their posts, at least transfer them to other departments. If no action is taken, we will not work and will not do stock-taking of the cattle for 2020. No truck will be loaded until the situation is resolved,” threatened the workers in the petition.

Approached for comment, Alugodhi said he could not comment on the matter, as he is an ordinary employee of NIDA. He, instead, referred all questions to management. 

Attempts to reach Kuvare proved futile, as his phone went unanswered. 

The Tondoro constituency councillor, Joseph Sivaku Sikongo, who doubles as the region’s chairperson, received the petition and promised their cries will be taken up with NIDA. An urgent meeting between the agency and leadership will be convened.

“We have heard your complaints and we have seen it but unfortunately, today there is nothing for us to discuss because your aerial manager is not around. 

“Therefore, we will call the authority of NIDA, the traditional authority and the Kavango West regional council so that we can sit together,” Sikongo said. He urged the workers not to go on with their decision of downing their tools but rather continue working as solutions to their problems are sought.