Renthia Kaimbi
The minister of justice and labour relations, Fillemon Wise Immanuel, has directed all government ministries to verify that every state-contracted service provider complies with minimum wage laws.
Immanuel warned that the government cannot be linked, even indirectly, to the exploitation of workers.
He issued the directive in a circular dated 24 February addressed to the line ministers.
“Representations received from various unions and employees confirm that a number of security companies rendering services to state institutions, including your respective ministries, continue to pay their employees below the legally mandated minimum wage,” he stated.
He said paying below the prescribed wage violates the Labour Act, undermines workers’ dignity and affects the government’s integrity as a procuring entity.
His directive follows action taken earlier this week by the minister of works and transport, Veikko Nekundi, who called an urgent meeting with Youth Security Services after it emerged that the company had not implemented the wage order signed in December 2025.
The agreement raised security guards’ wages from N$13.50 per hour to N$16 per hour with effect from 1 January.
Nekundi instructed the company to pay all adjusted salaries by Friday, 27 February. He warned that failure to comply would lead to contract termination and possible debarment.
On Friday, Nekundi confirmed that the company had paid all outstanding amounts and was now compliant.
Immanuel’s circular seeks to extend such enforcement across all ministries. He directed each ministry to confirm the compliance status of every contractor under its portfolio.
Where older contracts were signed at rates too low to meet minimum wage requirements, ministries must “immediately initiate a formal contract variation to adjust the service rate”.
He stressed that any rate adjustment must benefit employees directly and must not become extra profit for contractors.
If a service provider continues to underpay workers even after a contract adjustment, the ministry must consider terminating the contract.
Immanuel also instructed that no tender may be awarded to a company with a history of minimum wage non-compliance. Before awarding new service contracts, ministries must obtain a wage compliance confirmation from their ministry.
The circular shows that the general minimum wage is N$18 per hour, effective 1 January 2025.
Security workers earn N$16 per hour from 1 January 2026, rising to N$18 per hour on 1 January 2027.
Domestic workers earn N$15 per hour from 1 January 2026, while agricultural workers earn N$14 per hour from the same date. Both sectors will move toward N$18 per hour by 2027.
