WALVIS BAY – The Popular Democratic Movement (PDM)’s leader McHenry Venaani said if the government’s redress programme is not addressed immediately, it will result in a Fishrot 2.0.
The redress programme was launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment-Creation, aimed at addressing unemployment among fishermen.
The programme followed a Cabinet directive to address the plight of the fishermen who were in social distress following an illegal strike.
Venaani said fishermen are currently relegated to menial tasks such as cleaning factories and offloading packages through this programme, despite being skilled professionals who deserve to be employed in their rightful roles, out at sea, where their expertise can be put to good use.
“This programme, which was supposed to address unemployment among fishermen, has failed to deliver on its promises, leaving many of our fellow Namibians without jobs and struggling to make ends meet. We call on the Ombudsman to begin investigating this matter immediately and come forward with the necessary recommendations for reform, and failure to do so will not be tolerated,” he expressed.
Venaani was speaking at the commemoration of the PDM’s Workers’ Day rally in Walvis Bay last Wednesday, where he noted that the party is prepared to pursue
all avenues of justice, including
approaching the highest courts, to test the efficacy of government policies and interventions.
“Our fishermen deserve better, and we will not rest until they receive the justice they deserve. We stand in solidarity with our fishermen and all workers who are fighting for justice and dignity. We therefore demand accountability from our government, and insist on fair and transparent practices in the allocation of resources and opportunities,” he said.
PDM secretary general Manuel Ngaringombe assured that the event was not a PDM campaign rally, but rather a commemorative event in solidarity with the workers as well as the unemployed.
“We want to give the real state of the Namibian workers and not the fake, mixed and made-up stories that happened this morning at the national commemorations of Workers Day in Rundu. We want to address the unfair labour practices faced by workers such as fishermen, petrol attendants and security guards, among others, in the Erongo region,” he said.
- Nampa