By: Justicia Shipena

Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) says it plans to visit Cheetah Cement to ensure that the company implements all labour protocols.

This comes after the labour ministry granted permission to the Chinese-owned Cheetah Cement plant at Otjiwarongo to resume its operations after being ordered to close due to health concerns.

“We will try to make an appointment with the management just to go and satisfy ourselves with all the set-up being done,” said the NEFF’s deputy leader Kalimbo Iipumbu.

Iipumbu told The Villager that this would be a peaceful engagement because they have gone through a scrutiny process where they are required to meet to start operating.

He added that the party applauds the labour ministry for not sitting on the issue.

“They took it, even though the minister himself was trying to deny the fact that of which things were happening. So we want to applaud whoever has contributed until such a time that Cheetah Cement was shut down for a while.”

He stated that the party would monitor the situation to ensure the company operates procedurally.

“If justice was really done in accordance with all the requirements that the company should have, if everything is done in that line, I think we will be satisfied,” he said.

Iipumbu said all companies should meet all requirements before they commence their operations.

“So that it would also be on the side of our people, risk wise and economic development. If everything is met, we are satisfied.”

He also urged the labour ministry to continue assessing companies on labour practices.

“We understand many companies are still exploiting their workers. This should not be tolerated,” he concluded.

Previously, NEFF had visited Cheetah Cement, claiming that workers do not work under good conducive circumstances.

Additionally, the plant had opened a case against NEFF for trespassing.

The party had also claimed that most Chinese nationals working there did not have work permits. This resulted in eight Chinese nationals being arrested days after it was discovered they had no working permits.

On Sunday, the labour ministry, in a letter on the resumption of operation at the plant, said the closure affected all production activities at the grinding station, cement mill area, rotator pack area and cement warehouse.

The ministry’s acting executive director Lydia Indombo had said the closure of the mine followed several inspections in line with the condition of employment and occupational health and safety.

According to the ministry, the inspections found that occupational health and safety regulation violations were detected.

Some of these violations, according to Indombo, included employees not being provided with suitable personal and protective equipment.

The letter also stated that Cheetah Cement never investigated and identified the hazards and risks attached.

Furthermore, the letter also said Cheetah Cement failed to make arrangements for first aid and emergency.

In this vein, Indombo said the ministry conducted verification inspections on 16 and 20 May 2022 to evaluate the compliance with the identified shortfalls.

Thus, the ministry concluded that the ministry was satisfied with the level of compliance and recommended the resumption of Cheetah Cement production.