NEWS - NAMIBIA
| 2013-08-01Witvlei village fears for collapse
Nomhle Kangootui
DESPERATE ... Witvlei Meat employees face an uncertain future with the expected closing of the factory. It will also affect the Witvlei village.
Photograph by Henry Van Rooi
THE recent court judgement for the eviction of Witvlei Meat will plunge the economy and development of the village into chaos, residents told The Namibian.
The Agricultural Bank of Namibia recently won another round in its legal battle to evict Witvlei Meat from the premises prompting residents and workers to plead with the government to intervene and save their jobs.
Residents said after the abattoir re-opened seven years ago life in Witvlei has become better.
The abattoir employs 160 permanent staff and about 70 other people on a casual basis and has an annual turnover of N$120 million.
The company is also reportedly injecting around N$3 million a week into the local economy through the payments it is making to farmers supplying cattle to the abattoir. The meat is exported to the European Union (EU) and Scandinavian countries.
Confused and desperate employees of the abattoir said the government, Agribank and stakeholders involved must come to a settlement which will stop the eviction and their ultimate unemployment.
Maria !Oaes (48), mother of two and grandmother of one, said Witvlei was a place of criminal activities, and drunks before the abattoir was opened.
“This abattoir saved our lives and those of our brothers. I worked here for seven years and at least by working I have dignity. Within the next month we are expected to get build together houses. Now all of a sudden all our dreams are shattered because we don’t know what the future hold for us,” !Oaes said.
She said the abattoir is not only helping its employees but also the community, by giving them bones after deboning of the meat.
Mbenaiye Ngangane (38) recalls how he and his siblings used to wait for his grandmother’s pension.
“At least now that I have a job I help out at home. I am now so worried because although we are not originally from Witvlei we have made it our home and my concern. This is not only our problem but that of the whole of Omaheke as the unemployment rate will increase,” Ngangane said.
He said the closure will also affect the Witvlei Village Council’s income.
“It can lead to the place becoming a ghost town,” Ngangane said.
Touch Kangueehi is also devastated.
“I respect the law but really for one person (judge) to decide that so many people must go on the street is not fair. There is a tannery next to us. It has been closed for a long time now and when we get evicted who knows who will take over, we are begging the government and Agribank to come and see for themselves how this abattoir changed lives in this town,” Kangueehi said.
He said the abattoir has even opened a meat market in the heart of Windhoek’s Nama location (Katutura) where it sells meat cut-offs at low prices in a place which was previously used as a shebeen.
“At least people eat and don’t drink at the place anymore. Witvlei Meat has brought change,” Kangueehi said.
The Witvlei Village Council, through the Build Together programme, has built 40 houses and 30 of them are for the abattoir’s workers.
The acting chief executive officer of the council, Jan-Jacobus Strauss, said they have sleepless nights over the turn of events at Witvlei Meat.
“This is not good for the town at all. About 80% of the people here work for the abattoir and it means most of them are our main clients. If they sit without work most businesses and the council will fall flat. We don’t know what will happen to that building. Apart from the social impact this eviction will seriously affect the whole town. Something must be done and fast,” a concerned Strauss said.
Agribank filed a case against Witvlei Meat in the High Court in May last year.
The bank asked the court to grant an order evicting the company from the abattoir they operated in since 2006. After fighting the case, Witvlei Meat lost the first round in March this year and the bank was granted the eviction order.
The acting General Manager of Witvlei Meat, David Farmer, said the abattoir is doing well and it will be a huge blow to be evicted.
“There have been downs and I can assure you we have overcome those downs. We injected a lot of money because we wanted to maintain a good international standard, which we did. The workers started with little income and today they earn no less than N$2 000. This shows we are growing and in a month’s time most of the workers will have their houses handed over to them,” Farmer said.
He said it will not be in the best interest of the town and its people for the abattoir to be evicted.
“We have sent a petition to Omaheke governor Festus Ueitele. We really hope they will respond to us promptly because this is an emergency,” Farmer said.
Residents said after the abattoir re-opened seven years ago life in Witvlei has become better.
The abattoir employs 160 permanent staff and about 70 other people on a casual basis and has an annual turnover of N$120 million.
The company is also reportedly injecting around N$3 million a week into the local economy through the payments it is making to farmers supplying cattle to the abattoir. The meat is exported to the European Union (EU) and Scandinavian countries.
Confused and desperate employees of the abattoir said the government, Agribank and stakeholders involved must come to a settlement which will stop the eviction and their ultimate unemployment.
Maria !Oaes (48), mother of two and grandmother of one, said Witvlei was a place of criminal activities, and drunks before the abattoir was opened.
“This abattoir saved our lives and those of our brothers. I worked here for seven years and at least by working I have dignity. Within the next month we are expected to get build together houses. Now all of a sudden all our dreams are shattered because we don’t know what the future hold for us,” !Oaes said.
She said the abattoir is not only helping its employees but also the community, by giving them bones after deboning of the meat.
Mbenaiye Ngangane (38) recalls how he and his siblings used to wait for his grandmother’s pension.
“At least now that I have a job I help out at home. I am now so worried because although we are not originally from Witvlei we have made it our home and my concern. This is not only our problem but that of the whole of Omaheke as the unemployment rate will increase,” Ngangane said.
He said the closure will also affect the Witvlei Village Council’s income.
“It can lead to the place becoming a ghost town,” Ngangane said.
Touch Kangueehi is also devastated.
“I respect the law but really for one person (judge) to decide that so many people must go on the street is not fair. There is a tannery next to us. It has been closed for a long time now and when we get evicted who knows who will take over, we are begging the government and Agribank to come and see for themselves how this abattoir changed lives in this town,” Kangueehi said.
He said the abattoir has even opened a meat market in the heart of Windhoek’s Nama location (Katutura) where it sells meat cut-offs at low prices in a place which was previously used as a shebeen.
“At least people eat and don’t drink at the place anymore. Witvlei Meat has brought change,” Kangueehi said.
The Witvlei Village Council, through the Build Together programme, has built 40 houses and 30 of them are for the abattoir’s workers.
The acting chief executive officer of the council, Jan-Jacobus Strauss, said they have sleepless nights over the turn of events at Witvlei Meat.
“This is not good for the town at all. About 80% of the people here work for the abattoir and it means most of them are our main clients. If they sit without work most businesses and the council will fall flat. We don’t know what will happen to that building. Apart from the social impact this eviction will seriously affect the whole town. Something must be done and fast,” a concerned Strauss said.
Agribank filed a case against Witvlei Meat in the High Court in May last year.
The bank asked the court to grant an order evicting the company from the abattoir they operated in since 2006. After fighting the case, Witvlei Meat lost the first round in March this year and the bank was granted the eviction order.
The acting General Manager of Witvlei Meat, David Farmer, said the abattoir is doing well and it will be a huge blow to be evicted.
“There have been downs and I can assure you we have overcome those downs. We injected a lot of money because we wanted to maintain a good international standard, which we did. The workers started with little income and today they earn no less than N$2 000. This shows we are growing and in a month’s time most of the workers will have their houses handed over to them,” Farmer said.
He said it will not be in the best interest of the town and its people for the abattoir to be evicted.
“We have sent a petition to Omaheke governor Festus Ueitele. We really hope they will respond to us promptly because this is an emergency,” Farmer said.
