Erasmus Shalihaxwe
Politicians from different parties have criticised Sinomine Tsumeb Smelter for refusing entry to minister of justice and labour relations Fillemon Immanuel during a planned labour inspection on Monday.
According to media reports, the Chinese-owned company demanded that the minister, his security team, and delegation undergo alcohol testing before being allowed in.
The company also instructed the minister’s bodyguards to surrender their firearms at the gate.
Immanuel had visited the smelter to inspect a voluntary retrenchment process that the Labour Ministry suspects violates labour laws.
He was accompanied by the labour commissioner and a workers’ union representative.
The incident has sparked backlash from several political figures.
Former parliamentarian Maximilliant Katjimune said that while he had not reviewed the company’s policies, it is clear that some foreign-owned companies disregard Namibian laws and leadership.
“I will have to ascertain for myself the policy of the company first. Safe to say that Chinese companies in Namibia have gotten away with murder for a long time that has gone unchecked,” Katjimune said.
Affirmative Repositioning (AR) member of parliament Friderick Shitana said some Chinese nationals act without accountability in Namibia.
“Just imagine a whole minister being harassed by Chinese in our country. These people have no respect for our law; they need to be dealt with,” Shitana said.
Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) member Paulus Katanga said alcohol testing is standard safety protocol at mines.
“Let them just adhere and go engage them further on site. You can’t violate rules if you want others to adhere. Let them do the right thing. Maybe they can compromise on security levels, gun-wise, now. But alcohol is a must,” Katanga said.
Student Union of Namibia (SUN) president Bernard Kavau said alcohol testing was acceptable but stressed that under no circumstances should officers guarding a minister be required to hand over their firearms to company security.
