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Ondangwa remembers migrant labour

Namdeb General Manager Riaan Burger, the Mayor of Ondangwa, Leonard Negonga, and the Mayor of Oranjemund, Henry Coetzee.

Migrant Labour has had a huge impact on local communities. Recognising this fact, the Town Councils of Oranjemund and Ondangwa earlier this year concluded a twinning agreement. It follows the stakeholder engagement sessions held by Namdeb General Manager Riaan Burger.

Giving the process a visible foundation was the recent inauguration of the refurbished CDM Namdeb recruitment office in Ondangwa.
At the inauguration, the Mayor of Oranjemund, Henry Coetzee said “In June 2014, the Oranjemund Town Council and Namdeb visited Ondangwa, headed by myself and Riaan Burger the General Manager of Namdeb in Oranjemund to reaffirm our collective commitment to our previous discussion with regard to this centre.
“Refurbishing of the former CDM/Namdeb Recruitment Office is indeed significant. Not only does it refresh those important historical memories but the ‘project’ itself is an extension of our slogan of “On Diamonds We Build.” To me, and to most of Namdeb’s employees, it means much more: It means the chance to make a difference and to be a contributor to a prosperous Namibia. For those close to the organization, Namdeb is a vessel for progress, for achieving and for leading the way,” said Burger.
Lazarus Kapolo who worked for CDM/Namdeb for 36 years, said “For many years I have wondered and I am sure others have thought the same – how do we capture the diamond history that touched the lives of so many people who hailed from the northern regions. My hope is that through the Ondangwa Town Council – this dream will now be realised as there is opportunity for this building to relive the wonderful memories and the legacy.”

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