* TODAY: 'CDM EIGHT' IN COURT * PRESIDENT RETURNS * LATEST MEAT PRICES * SUPER SPORT * \ Bringing Africa South VoL2 No.516 R1.00 (GST Inc.) Wednesday March 4 1992 o s smash icket * as ex-List workers stage demo * Minister promises investigation tr STAFF REPORTERS -(/ VIOLENCE flared at Namibia Breweries yes­ terday morning when sacked workers with two-year old grievances against the Ohltaver & List company held a picket outside the brew­ ery in the Northern Industrial Estate. ·In scenes reminiscent of pre­ FOICe arrived and started to independence policing, protest­ remove the rocks. Shortly af­ ers were chased across waste terwards th.e arrival of a Na­ ground by sjambok-wielding mibia Breweries truck sparked officers of1he Police Task Fotre, the confrontation and arrests. after an ex-worker attempted Protesters who spoke to The to the block the path of a brew­ N amibian later alleged that the eries truck. police used violence without When the ex-worker was any reason and said they were . grabbed and flung to the floor seeking legal advice to bring by a Task Force Officer sev­ the officers in question to court. PRIME Minister Hage eral other protesters sought to One commented, "thiSoi-s the Geingob (above) yester­ . release hiin. They were · also South African Police, not the day offered to resign if physically restrained and ar­ police of an independent charges levelled against rested. - Namibia". Several accused the him by opposition At this point the sjamboks police of using racist language. speakers in the National were produced and the remain­ One police officer was heard Assembly could be ing Task Force Officers went shouting "F·· jou" at arrested in pursuit of fleeing demon­ prisoners in the back of a po­ proved. See story, pg 3. strators. lice van. In the melee five protesters It was unclear last night why were arrested by the Task FOICe the Police Task Foroe was and face charges related to deployed to deal with what Cabinet obstruction of a public road appeared to be a peaceful and preventing people enter­ demonstration. There were no ing their place of work. uniformed officers on the scene acts on The former workers as­ before the arrival of the Task sembled from 08hOO demand­ Force, who according to drought ing to see Wemer List, head of Namibian Breweries Manag­ BRUTE FORCE •.. The sjambok was back in action yesterday as-member s of the the Olthaver List Group; which ing Director, B Masche, were Police Task Force arrested and forcibly herded protesters into the back of a police owns Namibia Breweries, to continued on page 2 van. Photograph: Erich Boois THE Cabinet has decided discuss their reinstatement with on 2mergency action to try the company. and help farmers affected A11(bOO ex-workers placed by drought, Prime Minis­ rocks along the roadside and ter Hage Geingob told the lined up in front of the brewery STAN INTERNATIONAL) National Assembly yester­ gates to block staff .and ve­ rtf). SiidwaSI AulObaus • day. hicles leaving and entering the OARTENSTRAAT 9 VIR KWAUTEIT GEBRUlKTE VOERTUiE In northern Namibia the building. After several warnings, 1990 Golf GTI, Ioe km .. .... .... R19 500 continued on page 3 contingents of the Police Task 1987 Kombi, R/T ............ ........ R28 750 1989 Audl 500 SE .................. R49 ·000 Pohamba VOWS action 1989 Audl500 E .................... R48 000 1986 Nlssan 1400, HOME Affairs Minister Hiflkepunye Pohamba contacted canopy ................... .. ... R13 500 at the end of yesterday's National Assembly debate prom­ 1991 Golf GTI 2.0 Exec, ised an investigation into yesterday's clash between police 16 V ................. ............. R57 000· and workers outside the Breweries in the Northern Indus­ 1988 Jetta CSX, AlC ............ R24 500 trial area. 1988 Citl Sport 1.6, Sllwer ..... R18 000 Pohamba said he had only received information about the incident while in parliament. He stressed that what he had been 1~ ~88 Jetta ClI Exec .............. R28 000 told was only preliminary and said: " According to the report that 1989 WoIfsburg Jetta .......... R29 000 I have, the workers .. tried to prevent people from going in or out . .1986 Isuzu KB 2000 LE, 4x4 .... R22 000 of the brewery. As a result the police were called in. They tried 1988 Toyota Hilux SRX V6, to talk to them and persuade them to move away from the gate. JT 3000 .......................... R23 500 There was no success. AVB UITGESLUIT "The police tried to move them with some whips. In the process police arrested eight people. Some four arrested persons ran :ALLE MOTORS GEDIENS away. The workers threw· stones at the vehicles of the police. ROESWEREND E OPSIE SONDER EKSTRA KOSTE SKAKEL MARIUS Of ARNULf BY TEL 37526 Police decided to take out some guns but did not fire. They said .-J-z they called in the ' task force'. Police call in the task force when I. LlliLL ordinary police fail. ' , -, ' • ,MQ",j'l' 0 '0'" s.o_':! H. One journalist suggested The Namibian's-pqotographs could ~~- ~ . remind people of' 'the old days' , . Pohamba agre ~, d that if it was as some accounts suggested it was' 'very horrifying-:,:. f ~ ------' ~ Wednesday March 41992 , THE NAMIBIAN MUN worried about retrenchment trend f Criticises 'prejudiced press' -"~-", THE Mineworkers Union made public the retrenchment STAFF REPORTER of Namibia (MUN) has package proposal put forward sharply criticised "preju. by MUN and challenged diced journalists" who Now miners at Zinc & Lead members of the press to prove faced retrenchment, while last why it was not realistic. have reported " untruths" year Afmin retrenched work- MUN proposed that in the about the workers and ers at the SWA Lithium mine. absence of proper social secu- MUN without trying to According to Mutjavikua rity benefits, the company contact the union to ob· KEYS TO THE FUTURE ... About 200 children living on farms in the Aris district many of the workers at Zinc & should give at least four mooths' tain the facts. receive an education at a school founded by farming families a decade ago and since Lead were being paid wages notice pay, which would equal At a press conference on ranging from R225 to R250 a R225 x 4 or R900 for each supported by Lions,Clubs in Namibia and overseas. At the 10th anniversary of the Monday, acting Gen,eral Sec­ month. which was far below employee. school, the 'keys' to new buildings at the school were handed over by Lions Club retary of MUN Cleophas the breadline. MUN also called on the representative Wolfgang Schuckmann (left) to Aris farmer VIf Voigts and school Mutjavikua said it was time He charged that social de- Government to take a stronger principal Steve Eigowab. for the media to report in a way velopment at Zinc & Lead, such position on the whole issue of that would promote the Gov­ as housing, had also not changed retrenchment, especially in the ernment's proclaimed policy since independence and that mining industry, to ensure job of reconcililltmn. there were no recreational security for MUN members and Aris farm kids don't Mu~javilru~ specifi~a11y re­ facilities on the mine. " j~ ' fair ' sluid 6f the wealth cte- ferred' to recent newspaper "It is deplorable that these ' ated by the workers . " coverage of the dispute be­ inhuman conditions are often MUN also urged the Gov- miss education boat tween MUN and the Zinc .& invisible and overlooked by ernment to table social secu- Lead mine outside the privileged sector of the rity legislation to lighten the ABOUT 200 children, described as "educationally and transport was impossible. Swakopmund, which is owned community, and certain sec- burden of the many unemployed by the South African company marginalised" by a recent national conference, have At that time, two farming tors of the media. and retrenched workers. families took the initiative of Afmin. "Instead, some journalists Mutjavikua announced that just had their chances of school success boosted by Lions Mutjavikua said MUN was tend to sympathise with the in the light of the current re .. Club support from Namibia and overseas. building a school for local children, but lack of funds kept : seriously concerned about the employers who made substan- trenchments, the MUN educa- The children all live on £anus access to education. the project small until it, re­ series of events in the country tial profits through the years tion department planned to hold in the Aris district and until 10 The nearest schools were 20 ceived international support in threatening the job security of due to the dedicated efforts of a summit on the crisis in the years ago had very limited kilometres away in Windhoek 1987 from the North Sea Lions its members. the workers," Mutjavikua said. mining industry. clubs (England, Denmark, During the days of a boom­ "At the same time they write The union plans to invite all THE BRIDGE Holland, Germany) and from ing mining industry, miners reports ofcondemnation about interested parties, including 'local LionS Clubs in Germany. were "exploited and paid star­ the struggling wolkers who have Government, employers, ex- "Initiative for Re-integration of Released Prisoners" vation wages ~ a situation which Since then money has been no social security benefits when perts, workers, advisors and had not changed much since ,unemployed . " , marketeers. MARIENTAL flowing into the proj~t and independence" . _has a vacancy for a qualified and experienced <at least 4 years) more than R450 000 has been Mutjavikua for the first time ,. SOCIAL WORKER spent on school and ' hostel or a mature person who is buildings. For the tenth__ a;ullversary of the school, the symbolic keys committed to social problems of two new classrooms and a able to work with people in difficult circumstances new school hall were handed able to co-operate with government bodies as well as to school principal Steve NGOs Eigowab, and UlfVoigts, a EJr.periencedin adult education member of one of the school's familiar with basic administration work, including founding families.