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namib times
SERVING THE COASTAL COMMUNITY SINCE 1958 NO 6865 FRIDAY 29 MAY 2020 Tel: +264 64 - 205854 / +264 64 - 461866 /Fax: +264 64 - 204813 / 064 - 461824 / Website: www.namibtimes.net
Fish canning plant to bring 450 jobs Seaflower Pelagic Processing in Walvis Bay announced this week the construction of its fish canning plant is progressing well and could be operational by October this year. The cannery will provide approximately 450 local jobs. The Company commissioned its 14 000 square meter under-roof processing facility in Walvis Bay in January 2019 and holds the accolades as the largest land-based pelagic fish processing plant in sub-Sahara Africa. It is also one of the biggest employers in the Namibian fishing industry. The jobs created by the cannery will boost total employment at Seaflower Pelagic Processing to over 1 100 personnel which include land-based and seagoing personnel. Currently, the Company employs 600 people at its freezing plant, 8 people at its fish meal plant, 27 seagoing personnel on its two fishing vessels, MFV Nordervon and MFV Steinsund and 40 people employed in management- and administrative positions. Seaflower Pelagic Processing (Pty) Ltd is a joint venture between the National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor) and African Selection Fishing (Namibia) Pty Ltd. African Selection Fishing Namibia (ASFN) is 95% Namibian-owned.
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Lockdown! Walvis Bay returns to level 1 lockdown between 2 and 8 June
Walvis Bay returns to the Covid-19 lockdown as from midnight on Monday night, after two people tested positive for the Coronavirus. The rest of the country move on to stage 3 at the same time. For Walvis Bay the status quo will remain until 8 June. An extension of this lockdown remains on the table beyond that date. Under level 1, Walvis Bay residents will be under the following obligations: only leave place of residence to buy essential food items. Only essential services will be allowed to operate. School children will not return to school on 3 June, as is the case with the rest of the country. The buying and selling of alcohol is not permitted. Businesses need to issue essential services employees with letters that would allow them to travel. Visit the Namib Times Facebook for a detailed update.
Covid-19 truck drivers told lies The regional councillor for the Walvis Bay Urban Constituency, Cllr Knowledge Ipinge, sits with egg on the face over his handling of the matter in which a truck driver at a local transport company tested positive for the Coronavirus. Two truck drivers of F.P. du Toit Transport/Wesbank were dismissed recently after it was found they flouted quarantine rules by leaving the premises of the transport company where they were kept under compulsory self-quarantine. They were subjected to quarantine after trips to South Africa. The quarantine of truck drivers is standard safety procedure to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. The two truckers left the premises and visited various places in Walvis Bay, among others the Walvis Bay branch of Standard Bank Namibia. They were intercepted by the Namibian Police after anonymous tip-offs from the public. Upon learning this, they were subjected to an investigation and internal disciplinary inquiry by Wesbank Transport and subsequently dismissed. After their dismissal, the two truckers were accommodated in Government quarantine facilities where the one driver tested positive for the Coronavirus (Covid-19). In the days after their dismissal, the drivers commenced waging a campaign against their former employer F.P. du Toit Transport/Wesbank Transport using some media practitioners and also drawing in Cllr Ipinge in the process. In this regard allegations are the one truck driver in question is a close friend of Cllr Ipinge. There were allegations: 1. They (the drivers) were never informed of their rights and duties with regard to Covid-19 safety and the workplace. 2. Allegations were made they never received food during the days under quarantine at one of the premises of the transport company in Walvis Bay. 3. The ablution facilities were only made available to them during office hours (08:00 till 17:00 Mondays to Fridays). After one of the truck drivers tested positive, Cllr Ipinge directed letters to Standard Bank and F.P. du Toit Transport/Wesbank ordering the immediate closure of all relevant premises in Walvis Bay in the interest of “public health�. From the transporter were demanded Covid-19 business continuity plans, reports of the disciplinary hearings, list of employees and members of the public that visited the premises. From Standard Bank close circuit
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inside Raped as she went for prayer
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Needs help after serious burns
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For new Covid-19 rules see Namib Times Facebook
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