Staff Reporter
Windhoek-The economic advisor to President Hage Geingob, Dr John Steytler, recently acknowledged Dundee Precious Metals’ progressive stance where the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP) was concerned and the important impact the company has on the country.
Steytler paid a visit to Dundee Precious Metals Tsumeb on Tuesday, May 2 to get a firsthand understanding of what operations at the smelter involved. “President Geingob has always said the mining sector is a key player in the economy by creating employment, one of the main strategies to reducing poverty,” he said.
Steytler added that the private sector is the key engine of growth responsible for creating wealth and implementing government acts and pointed out that, governments do not create jobs and the Namibian government was no exception. “If the private sector does not fully participate in the Harambee Prosperity Plan, then we will miss key components,” he noted.
“Government alone cannot create jobs we need the support of the private sector. We want to understand what bottlenecks the private sector faces in executing what we would like to see them doing,” Steytler stated.
The advisor to the president cautioned public office-bearers against the dangers of confining themselves to offices, stating that government officials could not afford to plan in isolation.
“In government we cannot afford to plan in a vacuum, we have to understand what the real conditions on the ground are. When we confine ourselves to offices, we do what is referred to as planning in a vacuum and it is for that reason I encourage other public office-bearers to go out and visit operations, such as Dundee,” he said.
“I was delighted to see the number of people the company employs and the impact Dundee has in the Tsumeb community. The company contributes to housing, educational initiatives, sponsors vocational training institutions and adds to social progression, all of which are key sub-pillars of the HPP” he said.
Dundee has a strong corporate and social responsibility programme to support the communities in which they operate and their legacy is to ensure they have helped residents make the community a better place than before they arrived on the scene.
This was Steytler’s second visit to the site and he congratulated Dundee Precious Metals Tsumeb for having transformed the business for the better. “This is the true spirit of Harambee that we would like to see. People are excited to be here. Dundee has completely transformed, the sulphuric acid plant was not here during my first visit,” he noted.