Workers need to support each other

“Namibians fully recognise the pivotal role the workers played in the struggle for justice and freedom. Thus as we gather here today we pay tribute to the contribution of the workers to our own liberation,” said Hon, Nahas Angula, Minister of Defence. Speaking at the joint event to commemorate both Workers Day and Cassinga Day as well as celebrate Namibia’s 24th Independence anniversary in Mariental on Thursday (1st May), the Minister said Namibia faces two challenges, unemployment first, and secondly the lack of decent work. According to Angula, decent work provides workers with decent salaries and other conditions of employment and the government in solidarity with low paid workers have over the years raised the personal income tax threshold. He stressed that at the same time the government has zero-rated some basic commodities as far as value added taxes are concerned.

The recent decision of the Government to subsidise school development fund and free parents from contributing to such funds is another effort to augment family incomes to boost the spending power of families. “I will be the first to admit that as much as these government efforts are commendable , they are necessary but not sufficient to lift our people out of poverty. More needs to be done if we are going to fully embrace the noble idea of social justice. Social justice is the bedrock of the workers struggle,” said the Defence Minister. Also speaking at the event, , Mayor of Mariental, His Worship Alex Kamburute said “Today is important because the three important National Days have been combined”. “Mariental got a lot of work related challenges but our Workers are not attending these events and their shame is covered by the children who attend these events,” he said. Hon. Hansina Christian, Special Advisor to the Governor of Hardap Region, The commemoration of Worker’s Day, Cassinga Day and Heroes Day serves to remind our current and future generation that our independence was not given on a silver plate. “Our deliberate and conscious decision to commemorate these days as historic on our national calendar was done in a free and independent Namibia,” she said.