John Muyamba

RUNDU - About 76 workers of the Rundu Spar franchise say they have been left in the dark after the retailer closed down without any notice late last year. 

The shop was closed on 30 December last year, while workers were asked to return home on 28 December when they reported for work. “On 28 December, we got there, and the shop was closed. 

We asked them what was going on, and they said they were counting stock so the shop would be closed until the next day,” explained one of the affected workers, who refused to be named.  

“We were never given any notices that the shop is going to close, and on 29 December, we were called to a meeting with a staff member from the Windhoek Spar group’s head office. 

He was in fact there to close the shop,” the worker said. According to the source, the representative informed them that the business was closing down because it was not making any money, and the staff were placed on special leave until further notice.  

“That December, we struggled to get our salaries. We only got paid on 4 January, and then at the end of January, we got our last salaries,” the source continued. 

The aggrieved staff members told New Era that there was a court case going on between the franchisee of the shop and the Spar group. “But no one is giving us answers; they just came and closed the shop and send us home. In February, Ben Van Wyk (Spar owner) contacted us, and told us we were going to get notices for retrenchment packages,” said another aggrieved worker”.

"We now have no salaries, and our bills are piling up. 

By the time we get our retrenchment packages, every cent will be used to pay our debts, and that is not fair,” the former worker said. Van Wyk refused to divulge more information on the issue when contacted for comment.  “I am at no liberty to disclose any information, seeing that a liquidation process is ongoing,” he responded.

-jmuyamba@nepc.com.na 

Shut… Rundu Spar that closed down in December last year.

Photo: John Muyamba