Keetmanshoop
Recycled Products of Namibia intends to increase the number of its employees after it received a recycling machine worth N$500 000 from the government.
Manager Daniel Du Toit said the recycling firm currently employs 11 permanent staff members, but had to hire an additional five people last week after the new machine arrived and will have to recruit a further five workers to meet the labour demand.
He explained that the machine will make the recycling process significantly faster and thus additional labour will be needed.
The recycling machine was acquired from a South African company by the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development through its Equipment Aid Scheme, at a cost of N$500 000, which included transportation and training of local personnel.
Du Toit could not hide his joy, as he thanked the Namibian government for what he called “a wonderful gift” to the company, saying the machine will not only make recycling easier and faster, but it will enable them to recycle larger quantities of waste compared to the past.
“I’m very happy and this means a lot to us and the entire Keetmanshoop community. Thank you to the government for the wonderful gift,” he said. He indicated that the recycled waste that includes tin cans, cardboard and plastic is exported to South Africa and he is hopeful that the business will be more profitable in the long run.
Paul Kisting, the regional head at the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development in //Karas, encouraged other businesses to make use of its Equipment Aid Scheme to boost their business activities and profile.
Kisting said the ministry is mandated to help SMEs every year and it is up to the entrepreneurs to come up with good and economical viable proposals for funding, adding the government caters for all Namibians, irrespective of colour. No one should feel left out, he said.
“Sometimes whites think that this government is for blacks only, but that’s not the case. I urge them to get involved so no one is excluded,” he said. He also revealed that the ministry has to date helped about 70 SMEs in the region at a cost of N$ 2.5 million. And more is yet to come.
The Equipment Aid Scheme provides assistance to SMEs in the form of machinery and other technology with the aim of boosting business efficiency and creating much-needed employment opportunities.