Fishermen threaten to boycott independence celebrations over unresolved quota dispute

FRUSTRATED Namsov and Samherji fishermen have vowed to camp at the fisheries and marine resources office on 21 March in search of a satisfactory response to their earlier demands.
The fishermen’s demands extend to broader employment concerns, including job security, fair wages, and improved working conditions.
The group, who petitioned the fisheries minister in Windhoek on 10 March, are demanding an immediate resolution to their employment and quota concerns, claiming the minister had not communicated clearly with them since the petition handover.
Speaking on behalf of the fishermen at Walvis Bay on Tuesday, Namsov Fishermen chairperson Immanuel Petrus accused the minister of dishonesty and mismanagement in handling the reallocation of fishing quotas.
“If we do not receive a satisfactory response by 20 March, we will go and camp in Windhoek and this time, we will not leave.
“Last time, we trusted the minister’s word and waited but this time, we will bring our families, and we will stay put until a real solution is given,” they vowed.
According to Petrus, workers were promised a move to Blue Chromis Fishing, but later learned that the minister had already distributed 50% of their quota to other companies without contractual obligations.
“As workers, we have been patient enough. We were promised a letter to be moved to Blue Chromis, yet we later discovered that the minister had already allocated the quota elsewhere,” he expressed.
Mining, Metal, Maritime and Construction Union general secretary Joseph Garoeb criticises the government for failing to prioritise workers’ welfare.
“We are not just fighting for ourselves, but for the next generation. Our children should not be forced into the same struggle we are facing. They deserve better,” Garoeb says.
A response letter from fisheries minister Derek Klazen addressed to the group’s union representative issued on 10 March, highlighted the ministry’s commitment to finding a speedy resolution to the matter.
“The ministry remains sympathetic to the ordeal of the affected fishermen in general and those being redressed by the Government Employment Redress Programme.
“Regarding your members’ request to be employed or moved to a preferred fishing company, the ministry remains open to this idea of migrating these specific groups of former fishermen after consultation with Blue Chromis Fishing and other parties,” the letter reads.