Renthia Kaimbi
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has defended the Government Employment Redress Programme (GERP), saying it was lawfully created to secure permanent jobs for retrenched fishermen.
The defence comes after criticism from Walu Fishing Investments (Pty) Ltd, which accused the programme of being a flawed system that misleads workers and undermines the country’s marine resources.
Walu’s managing director, Erna Loch, argued that the initiative has been distorted for personal and political benefit rather than creating meaningful jobs.
The ministry responded by stating that a Cabinet directive set up GERP and selected companies implemented it through publicly advertised, legally binding agreements.
It said participation was voluntary and based on each company’s capacity, dismissing claims that the programme creates an unworkable environment.
Loch argued that the Marine Resources Act has undermined its original purpose.
She said many operators in the sector believed that the 2015 amendments would finally open the industry to ordinary Namibians, but the provision has instead been exploited by a small group with influence.
She said her company’s applications for a sustainable quota were ignored, even though they owned a vessel and employed 117 fishermen from Okapare in 2021. According to her, the ministry offered no support, which led to the vessel leaving Namibia and the resulting loss of jobs.
Loch also maintained that the quotas allocated under GERP are not financially viable, saying they are too small to sustain a vessel or create stable employment because they do not cover core costs such as salaries, fuel, and maintenance.
Walu further claimed it has been paying salaries for 223 fishermen from its own pocket up to September without receiving enough quota income to support the workforce. The company said it is still expected to meet payroll and has faced threats that its agreement could be cancelled if it fails to do so.
The ministry rejected claims of systemic failure, saying GERP was created to secure full-time, permanent employment and that companies were selected through a public and assessed application process.
It maintained that participation was voluntary, with companies free to decline if they disagreed with the terms of the designation agreement.
The ministry emphasised that GERP was not intended as a funding mechanism or a tool to attract investors but was established to ensure retrenched fishermen could return to work. It said several companies have been able to implement the programme successfully using the same resources.
It added that procedures are in place to cancel agreements and recover the value of allocated quotas when companies fail to meet obligations such as paying salaries.
