Kuzeeko Tjitemisa

WINDHOEK – The public enterprises ministry  has requested parastatals to prioritise the employment of Namibians ahead of foreign nationals.
In a circular sent to state-owned enterprises, the ministry  said it has noted a growing trend of foreign nationals occupying some strategic positions in public enterprises.
According to the ministry, this in many cases was being done at the expense of locals, especially at this stage when the country is grappling with high unemployment.

According to Jooste, foreign workers should only be employed if really needed by companies that find it difficult to get local workers. “This matter is of great concern that foreign expatriates continue to be employed at this stage when the country is experiencing a high unemployment rate,” Jooste said in the letter.

“You are hereby urged to ensure that in your institutions recruitment priority is given to Namibians who possess the skills and only in exceptional cases where specialised skills are not available within the country can expatriates be considered.”
He said that to ensure that employment of foreign expatriates in public enterprise is fairly regulated and monitored, the ministry is developing a policy framework in line with public enterprise governance.
Questions have been raised especially by members of opposition parties in parliament in the past as to why parastatals employ foreign nationals in some cases as chief financial officers as if there are no qualified Namibians to hold such position.
Unemployment figures in the country continue to go up yearly with tens of thousands of graduates failing to secure employment despite owning a university qualification. By the beginning of last year, Namibia had 67 000 unemployed graduates hoping to get a job in the field they studied for.
According to the latest figures from the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA), about 46.10% of the country’s youth are without jobs, while the national unemployment rate stands at 33.40%.

Leon Jooste