They expressed their support for him in a full-page advertisement placed in all Namibian daily newspapers.

In the statement, Fishcor chairman Elia Shikongo and his board responded to what they termed "efforts at tarnishing the CEO and his management" through a series of anonymous letters published in local media.

As with other local fishing companies, Fishcor and its affiliate companies, including Seaflower White Fish and Seaflower Lobster, have been battered by negative exchange rates, depressed markets, negative environmental conditions and excessive cost increases, especially in terms of fuel, Judge Shikongo wrote on behalf of Fishcor's board.

"It goes without saying that no industry can survive these trying conditions without taking drastic and far-reaching measures," he wrote.

In doing so, Fishcor intended consolidating all its assets into taking best advantage of its core activities, namely "catching, processing and marketing of fish and fish products", he said.

The plan involves selling off its old Seaflower headquarters and boatyard, situated in the heart of the harbour area, as well as the old cold stores.

Fishcor has built a new maintenance facility and a new cold-storage facility next to its dilapidated factory, situated about seven kilometres out of town, a recent visit to Luederitz established.

"The phase in the company's development plan (involving) the building of a new processing facility remains a priority" as a sign of Fishcor's belief in the future of the industry, Shikongo wrote.

He also addressed the crippling go-slow strike, which started in May last year and was subsequently extended to grievances over night-shift work.

Shikongo seemed to try and blame poor labour relations at the factory on two employees, who are thought to be behind writing letters to the media about the state of play at Fishcor.

The go-slow strike is continuing, the Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers Union (Nasawu) confirmed last week.

The future of ailing Seaflower Lobster was, however, not addressed by Shikongo.

Seaflower, the former Swaco, has existed in one or the other form as a lobster company since the early 1940s.

Shikongo made no explicit mention to its future as a company in sketching the future of Fishcor.

From the booming 1970s, which saw up to 15 000 tons of lobster processed a year, this resource has now plunged to near-extinction levels, with the total annual quota for last year set at a paltry 440 tons.

Even at that, it could not be filled.

And with Seaflower Lobster reportedly not being able to fill its last 88-ton quota, the end of that company appears almost inevitable.

* John Grobler is a freelance journalist; 081 240 1587

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