Hochland Woermann Brock complies with order to close

Woermann Brock has closed operations at its Hochland Park branch in Windhoek for renovations following a government directive.

Woermann Brock Group general manager Braam van Niekerk on Thursday said the store will be rebranded from Woermann Supermarket to Woermann Fresh, with renovations expected by the end of August.

This comes after the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation on Wednesday said the branch was ordered to stop operations effective 30 July until all hazards are rectified.

“The contractors and Woermann staff in the store did not have all the personal protective equipment as per the visit from the ministry. They did stop construction but have granted us permission to continue yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon after the contractors have been given the right equipment. We have also given our staff the masks, hard hats etc. that are currently in the store,” van Niekerk said.

Van Niekerk said they will implement and follow these guidelines to protect both staff and consumers before opening again. “The store will remain closed until they give us the green light to open for customers again. We can, in any case, not currently trade due to the renovation,” van Niekerk said.

The ministry’s acting executive director, Aune Mudjanima, said during an inspection on Monday they identified severe safety breaches at the branch.

These include exposing employees and customers to hazardous conditions by combining retail operations with construction work, neglecting risk assessments, failing to provide essential personal protective equipment, and disregarding notification requirements for construction activities.

“The ministry has recommended remedial actions that Woermann Brock has to implement in order to address non-compliance. Further, it should be inspected and verified for its readiness to resume with its operations by the ministry’s labour inspector prior to its resumptions,” Mudjanima said.