12| INFORMANTÉ COASTAL
14 November - 20 November 2013
coast
NamPort-AfDB
biggest SOE deal
BIG MONEY: The CEO of Namport, Bisey Uirab, with Ebrima Faal, the African Development Bank’s Regional Director for Southern Africa.
Photo contributed
THE signing of an N$3,38 billion
loan agreement between NamPort and the African Development Bank (AfDB) is the biggest
of its kind so far for a Namibian
State-Owned Enterprise (SOE),
and represents 3 % of Namibia’s
GDP.
NamPort will utilise the loan
for the construction and equipping
of a new container terminal on reclaimed land in the port of Walvis
Bay.
The Namibian government would
increasi ngly require from SOEs,
in future, securing infrastructure
development loan finances from
lending sources, both locally and
abroad, and the state treasury would
only play a role of guaranteeing
such loans. This was the core message at the NamPort-AfDB signing
ceremony last week by Namibia’s
Minister of Finance, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
“The bulk of public investment in
infrastructure is channelled through
SOEs, and these enterprises are required to raise these own funds to
finance these investments,” said
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
The minister praised NamPort’s
capacity to have financed a part of
the loan from its own financial resources, and also the fact that the
state treasury is only needed to back
the loan and that the port’s authority would be able to service the loan
from its own financial capacity.
NamPort in the past five years
financed all its developmental projects from own resources, totalling
N$600 million.
Floris Steenkamp
THE fish-processing operations of Novanam in Walvis
Bay came to a halt last Tuesday, after the factory’s estimated 150 workers embarked
on a strike following a breakoff in wage talks with the Novanam Group.
Workers demand better salary
increases and bonuses, whilst
they also want better housing allowances. Workers are affiliated
to the Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers Union, and of the
estimated 150 workers that went
on strike, a total of 51 are permanent workers.
Photo used for illustrative purposes only
Photo used for illustrative purposes only
Photo used for illustrative purposes only
Photo used only
Photo used for illustrative purposes for illustrative purposes only
CABS ARE BACK
AFFORDABLEDOUBLE
AFFORDABLE DOUBLE
AFFORDABLE DOUBLE
CABS ARE BACK
BACK
CABS
CABS ARE BACK
You mean business, and so does the Nissan NP300. Its resilient, never-say-die
attitude is geared to SOUTHERN MOTOR MECCA during the week. And on the
EXCLUSIVE TO haul your enterprise to new heights
weekend, it’s just as comfortable hauling your ?shing gear. That’s why buying one is
EXCLUSIVE TO SOUTHERN MOTOR MECCA want to work hard or play hard.
the smartest
make, whether you
EXCLUSIVEinvestment you’ll everthe Nissan MECCA
LUSIVE TO TO SOUTHERN MOTOR MECCA Its resilient, never-say-die
SOUTHERN MOTOR NP300.
You mean business, and so does
EXCLUSIVE TO SOUTHERN MOTOR MECCA
attitude is geared to haulso does the Nissan NP300. Its resilient, never-say-die on the
your enterprise to new heights during the week. And
You mean business,
You mean business,as and does thehauling your ?shing gear. That’s why buying one is
weekend, it’s just and soyour
comfortable Nissan NP300. Its resilient, never-say-die
attitude business, so
You meanis geared haul your enterprise to newNP300. Its resilient,work never-say-die
ean business, andand so does themake, new heights during toweek. And onon the hard.
the Nissan NP300. want the never-say-die
attitude is geared to to hauldoesenterprise to whether you Its resilient,hard orthe
during the week. And play
the smartest investment you’ll ever Nissan heightsgear. That’s why buying one is
weekend, it’s just comfortable hauling your ?shing
comfortable hauling your
attitude is gearedasas your enterprise to ?shingheights during the And is the
e weekend, it’s toinvestment your enterprise to new heights That’s work buyingweek. And on the
isthe smartest haul
geared just to haul you’ll ever make, whether you want to why week. one on
new gear. during the hard or play hard.
the smartest investment you’ll ever hauling
weekend, it’s just as comfortable make, whether you want to work hard or play hard. is
nd, it’s just as comfortableever make,your ?shing gear. That’s why buying buying one is
hauling your ?shingwant to work hard or play hard.
gear. That’s why one
the smartest investment you’ll
whether you
Southern Motor Mecca
Main Road, Mariental (063) 242394
Southern Motor Mecca
martest investment you’ll ever make,Motor you want to work hard or play hard.
Southern whether Mecca
Southern Motor (063) 242394
Main Road, MarientalMecca
Southern Motor Mecca
Main Road, Mariental (063) 242394
Main Road, Mariental (063) 242394
Southern Motor Mecca
Main Road, Mariental (063) 242394
Main Road, Mariental (063) 242394
MEMBERS of the Lüderitz
community lashed out at cases
of nepotism this week, alleging certain senior officials at
NamPort are pulling strings
to secure jobs for their family
members at the port of Lüderitz.
A Namport official agreed
with the community’s concern
this week, and added that by just
comparing surnames on the database of people employed the port
of Lüderitz, and with a little local knowledge of who’s who, one
would certainly uncover a pattern
that gives credibility to the people’s concerns.
Disgruntled community members spoken to explained they
applied for jobs at the port in
recent months, and were even interviewed. However, they never
heard from NamPort again, and
instead saw other people related
to senior officials somehow getting employed.
“We are all in the race for bread
on the table. We don’t ask for
preferential treatment, but we ask
for fairness,” said a resident. She
alleged in recent months many of
the Lüderitz community went for
interviews at NamPort, but many
with some kind of connection to
senior officials got employed.
She also questioned the process
NamPort followed to advertise
the latest wave of positions for
general workers. “We never saw
the positions advertised in the
media.
We who have been interviewed
for possible positions of employment at Namport have expectations that we at least would be
given a first right of refusal,” she
explained.Two other community
members voiced the exact same
concerns.
Informanté took the allegations
up with NamPort’s chief executive officer, Bisey Uirab. Uirab
urged these community members
to get in personal contact with
him, in order to assist him with
more information.
FAMILY AFFAIRS: Port of Lüderitz where nepotism raised its head.
Photo contributed
Embattled Novanam workers strike
FFORDABLE DOUBLE
AFFORDABLE DOUBLE
CABS AREBACK
CABS ARE BACK
AFFORDABLE DOUBLE
EXCLUSIVE TO SOUTHERN MOTOR MECCA
Floris Steenkamp
“Novanam processes fish for
the European market. The trade
currency for our fish overseas is
significantly stronger than the
Namibian Dollar, yet we never
see real growth in our remuneration packages. We have examples of people who worked
for Novanam for 17 years, and
when they died, the company
gave their families a scandalous N$200,” explained workers. They feel the company does
not really care for their workers’
well-being, and is not interested
in also seeing Namibians empowered and uplifted financially
and socially.
They indicated on Tuesday
they will continue with strike
action until the company comes
to the table with a deal that offers real benefits to the people.
When asked about the status quo
with Lüderitz, a workers’ representative said that at this southern fishing town too, workers
are prepared to go on strike any
day if the wage talks do not get
back on track.
Novanam is a subsidiary of
the financially embattled Pescanova Group SA in Spain
which filed for bankruptcy in
March this year. Locally, Novanam also recently had its fair
share of trouble when a massive
fraud scheme was uncovered
with its pension scheme, which
saw a senior employee arrested.
Photo used for illustrative purposes only
Floris Steenkamp
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila called
upon other SOEs to enhance its own
capacities to raise loan finances, as
state revenues would be increasingly needed for health and education.
Loans for infrastructure to deliver
services and secure Namibia as a
logistics hub would be increasingly
turned to banks. The minister also
suggested SOEs should turn to the
issuance of local bonds in order for
Namibians to invest their financial
resources in empowering the country’s infrastructure.
NamPort CEO, Bisey Uirab, confirmed the tender for the construction of the container terminal was
awarded to China Harbour Engineering Company. Uirab added the
terminal would become operational
in 2017, and reassured Namibians
that contrary to fears, no unskilled
Chinese employees would be imported for the project. Namibians
are to benefit.
Uirab explained logistics development is a key pillar the Namibian government identified to achieve
Namibia’s Vision 2030 goals. Namibia, and in particular Walvis Bay,
strives to become the logistics hub
between SADC and world markets
and also the preferred services and
business hub on the West Coast of
Africa. The new container terminal, along with further development
of the four major trade and logistics corridors that links the port of
Walvis Bay to all major centres
throughout Southern Africa, is the
next step to achieve this goal.
Nepotism at port of Lüderitz
DISGRUNTLED: Striking Novanam workers in Walvis Bay
Photo: Floris Steenkamp