Steven Klukowski

KE E T M A N SHO OP - Members of trade unions affiliated to the Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers Union (Nasawu), staged a peaceful demonstration against the mining of marine phosphate in Lüderitz this week.

Nasawu is one of the biggest union federations in the country, Reading out the petition, shop
steward Pertus Joseph from the Trade Union Congress of Namibia (Tucna) emphasised that they
strongly condemn any person, company or institution that supports the mining of marine
phosphate.

“It has been said and proven over and over that mining phosphate offshore will pollute the water and
destroy the environment at sea, including the sea,” he said. He further argued that because
of this mining, fish might pick up hazardous heavy metals and build them up in their bodies.
Joseph then reasoned that consuming such fish could have dangerous health risk, affecting
markets available negatively as people will refuse to buy it.

The shop steward added: “The fishing industry creates more than 40 000 direct and indirect jobs and that more than 100 000 people are surviving on the fishing industry based on the support that they get from the people who are employed in the fishing industry.”

He reminded Namibians that it is therefore their responsibility to stand together and join hands
to fight against those who want to mine marine phosphate offshore. Receiving their petition, Jan
Scholtz, !Nami#Nus Constituency Councillor where Lüderitz is positioned, promised the group that he will forward it to the relevant authorities and revert to them accordingly