Unemployed at Oshakati feel sidelined in own community

OSHAKATI – Some residents of Oshakati have accused investors who come to the Oshana Region of bringing in their own staff rather than employing locals.

During a recent discussion conducted by Echoes News Service with six Oshakati residents, unemployment was raised as one of the main issues concerning the people of the northern town. According to the 2001 Census, 41 per cent of the economically active population in the Oshana Region are unemployed.Sylvia Nambahu (40), a resident of Kandjengedi location in Oshakati, said many local people were unable to gain employment with large companies that invest in the region.”One of the reasons why local people don’t have jobs is that investors come here and build their huge businesses, but they don’t employ local people.They bring their workers with them.”We have so many young people roaming the streets without jobs.Go to Game, Shoprite, Mr Price and all those shops, the only local people you will see are the security guards,” she claimed.Sackaria Sheehama (66), also from Kandjengedi, agreed that many shops operating at the town employed mainly people from other regions.”I see mostly Afrikaans-speaking people in Game while I cannot find them selling in Omatala [the open market].”Approached for comment on the composition of their staff, Riaan White, Area Manager for Game in Oshakati, denied the allegations.”All I can say is go to Game Oshakati, I am sure you will find Oshiwambo-speaking employees.”Echoes News Service could not obtain comment from Shoprite Namibia.The Area Manager of Mr Price retailers, Christa Botha, said that they only bring in people from other regions for certain positions or while they are training locals.”I have a manager here on a temporary basis at the moment because the ‘possible manager’ from that area is currently on training,” she said.According to Oshakati Town Mayor, Engelbert Atshipara, many investors who continued to employ people from other regions had opened their businesses in Oshakati as long as 10 years ago.He called for research into the issue.”I am not aware of any research done on employment created by investors.I know there are local people employed by the Bank of Namibia, Shoprite, Game, China shops and others,” Atshipara said.According to Herbert Jauch, Director of Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI), national research conducted by LaRRI on workers and their conditions revealed that local people were the majority of workers in multinational businesses.”According to the research findings companies mostly employ only supervisors and managers from other regions,” said Jauch.”I think investors find it cheaper to employ local people than employing people from other regions because that would mean they have to pay for their transport and rent,” he said.Jauch added that the major problems the research found out were low salaries, lack of benefits and high work pressure.- Echoes News Service (Polytechnic)According to the 2001 Census, 41 per cent of the economically active population in the Oshana Region are unemployed.Sylvia Nambahu (40), a resident of Kandjengedi location in Oshakati, said many local people were unable to gain employment with large companies that invest in the region.”One of the reasons why local people don’t have jobs is that investors come here and build their huge businesses, but they don’t employ local people.They bring their workers with them.”We have so many young people roaming the streets without jobs.Go to Game, Shoprite, Mr Price and all those shops, the only local people you will see are the security guards,” she claimed.Sackaria Sheehama (66), also from Kandjengedi, agreed that many shops operating at the town employed mainly people from other regions.”I see mostly Afrikaans-speaking people in Game while I cannot find them selling in Omatala [the open market].”Approached for comment on the composition of their staff, Riaan White, Area Manager for Game in Oshakati, denied the allegations.”All I can say is go to Game Oshakati, I am sure you will find Oshiwambo-speaking employees.”Echoes News Service could not obtain comment from Shoprite Namibia.The Area Manager of Mr Price retailers, Christa Botha, said that they only bring in people from other regions for certain positions or while they are training locals.”I have a manager here on a temporary basis at the moment because the ‘possible manager’ from that area is currently on training,” she said.According to Oshakati Town Mayor, Engelbert Atshipara, many investors who continued to employ people from other regions had opened their businesses in Oshakati as long as 10 years ago.He called for research into the issue.”I am not aware of any research done on employment created by investors.I know there are local people employed by the Bank of Namibia, Shoprite, Game, China shops and others,” Atshipara said.According to Herbert Jauch, Director of Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI), national research conducted by LaRRI on workers and their conditions revealed that local people were the majority of workers in multinational businesses.”According to the research findings companies mostly employ only supervisors and managers from other regions,” said Jauch.”I think investors find it cheaper to employ local people than employing people from other regions because that would mean they have to pay for their transport and rent,” he said.Jauch added that the major problems the research found out were low salaries, lack of benefits and high work pressure.- Echoes News Service (Polytechnic)