Dispute over alleged child labour erupts at farm in the South

THE Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union says it plans to register a case of child labour against a farmer in the South who, it alleges, is using a 15-year-old boy to work on his farm.

The farmer flatly denies the charge. He says he has merely tried to compensate the teenager for jobs done around the farm.Andries Greyling from the farm Nagas, 65 kilometres outside Keetmanshoop, is alleged to have employed Neville Alberto Boois as a general labourer for the past eight months.Greyling denied the allegations of child labour.He said that the boy performed some chores on the farm voluntarily in return for a N$50 allowance per month as compensation.Greyling met with representatives of Natau on Monday.The accusations arose after Boois’s father, Andries Julius (52), resigned as a general labourer at the farm.Julius claimed he walked out because of unsatisfactory treatment he had received from a farm manager.The father claimed that his son was forced to perform all duties at the farm as assigned to him.However, Greyling denied the allegations in a meeting with Natau officials.Natau represents farmworkers in the Karas Region because the Namibia Farm Workers Union (Nafwu) has no representatives there.Greyling told the meeting that he compensated the boy “out of good will”.During the meeting, it was also alleged that another of Julius’s sons, Andre Boois (30), was dismissed after the farm management claimed that he had absconded from work for four consecutive days.Boois claimed that he, together with his one-year-old baby and girlfriend, had to walk about 15 kilometres before he got a lift to Keetmanshoop.The farm management said transport was arranged for Boois and his family with a neighbouring farmer but he refused to use it.The union officials, farm owner and the workers settled on a N$553 severance package for Julius.Natau representatives said a case of child labour would be registered with the Ministry of Labour, but did not specify when.He says he has merely tried to compensate the teenager for jobs done around the farm.Andries Greyling from the farm Nagas, 65 kilometres outside Keetmanshoop, is alleged to have employed Neville Alberto Boois as a general labourer for the past eight months.Greyling denied the allegations of child labour.He said that the boy performed some chores on the farm voluntarily in return for a N$50 allowance per month as compensation.Greyling met with representatives of Natau on Monday.The accusations arose after Boois’s father, Andries Julius (52), resigned as a general labourer at the farm.Julius claimed he walked out because of unsatisfactory treatment he had received from a farm manager.The father claimed that his son was forced to perform all duties at the farm as assigned to him.However, Greyling denied the allegations in a meeting with Natau officials.Natau represents farmworkers in the Karas Region because the Namibia Farm Workers Union (Nafwu) has no representatives there.Greyling told the meeting that he compensated the boy “out of good will”.During the meeting, it was also alleged that another of Julius’s sons, Andre Boois (30), was dismissed after the farm management claimed that he had absconded from work for four consecutive days.Boois claimed that he, together with his one-year-old baby and girlfriend, had to walk about 15 kilometres before he got a lift to Keetmanshoop.The farm management said transport was arranged for Boois and his family with a neighbouring farmer but he refused to use it.The union officials, farm owner and the workers settled on a N$553 severance package for Julius.Natau representatives said a case of child labour would be registered with the Ministry of Labour, but did not specify when.