By Catherine Sasman
WINDHOEK
Sources close to the debacle that erupted between trade adviser Wallie Roux and Meatco, confirmed that his employment contract with the government-owned entity was concluded at the end of October.
Roux was hauled over the coals and suspended for over five months after an article appeared in New Era of April 18 and quoted him as saying it would be “unwise to run to meet the [EU EPA] deadline”, adding that the country would in the process “sign away” its future and arguing for a closer read of the agreement.
As a result, Meatco’s Kobus du Plessis suspended him on May 10, for apparently “breaking Meatco’s internal rules”.
After his suspension, Meatco, the Meat Board and the Agricultural Trade Forum held a press conference in which the parties said that Roux had “no right to issue an opinion which appears in the public as though the official stance by the industry”.
At the time, the three bodies further stated in the press statement that there was “no immediate cause of concern regarding the continuation of meat exports to the EU market” as portrayed by Roux.
Confirmation of Roux’s eventual contract termination with Meatco came to light shortly after the Namibian Cabinet decided not to sign the interim Economic Partnership Agreement framework , months after Roux sounded the warning bells.
The lights apparently came on for the Namibian Government when it realized that the framework agreement would restrict the country’s future economic policy options and the European Community’s inclusion of services and other trade related issues that are not a requirement for World Trade Organisation compatibility.
This means that Namibia will be subjected to the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) as from the beginning of next year, with beef products excluded from the list of beneficiary products under the GSP arrangement.
Namibia will thus have to export beef to the European Union under Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariffs.
These tariffs in general would mean a 91 percent import tariff in comparison to the current eight percent, thus rendering beef exports to the EU uneconomical.
Approached for comment by New Era yesterday, a reticent Roux merely said: “Yes, it is true. I am now looking for another job.”