By: Annakleta Haikera
Kavango regions Mine Workers Union ex-members want Nam-Mic to pay them N$500 million in dividends.
The Mine Workers Union of Namibia (MUN) established the Namibia Miners Investment to benefit the union’s members. The Namibia Miners Investment then bought shares in Nam-Mic.
The ex-members demanded the payment during a demonstration at Rundu on Saturday when they handed over a petition to the Kavango East regional councillor Damina Maghambayi.
The union’s spokesperson Mpande Johannes Kandjeke said they learnt about the N$500 million from its acting president, Allen Mayemelo Kalumbu.
According to the ex-members, Kalumbu told them that the N$500 million was from shares they hold in the Namibia Miners Investment that invested with Nam-Mic.
The ex-members also said Kalumbu told them that application forms were sent to all constituency councillors’ offices countrywide so that ex-members and dependents of deceased members could provide the information needed by Nam-Mic to process payment.
Kandjeke said while they were waiting for payouts, they heard that Nam-Mic and the Namibia Miners Investment had formed a new investment company or arm called Namitvest.
He said Kalumbu was appointed the Chairperson of Namitvest’s board of directors, including Lionel Mathew and Ethen-zel Zarondo.
According to Kandjeke, the members were not consulted before the new investment company was formed.
“We as beneficiaries also came to learn that the 25% dividend that was supposed to be paid out was no longer going to be paid as previously agreed with the beneficiaries during the meetings conducted by Kalumbu and Ndeutapo countrywide,” Kandjeke said.
He added that they also learned that Nam-Mic and Namit had already transferred the 25% dividends to the new company.
“We would like to clarify that the investment is not by force. Our members are suffering in extreme poverty while we have invested money, which has full-grown into millions of Dollars. This investment intended to uplift the ex-members and their dependents from poverty, but leaders entrusted to oversee those investments had now turned to enrich themselves and their dependents,” Kandjeke said
Nam-Mic, Kandjeke said, claims to have paid N$25 161 566.80 to its shareholders as dividends, including N$6 546 880.08 declared and paid in 2019.
“We, the beneficiaries, would like to record that we have never received such money which the MUN and Nami-Mic Holding (PTY) Ltd is claiming to have paid to us as per the allegation made by MUN and Nam-Mic Board of Directors to be the truth,” he said.
The ex-members demanded an immediate investigation and called on the labour minister and ACC to appoint an independent investigator to investigate the affairs of the money.
They also said they want the N$500 million to be paid with immediate effect and that a Beneficiaries Long-Term Scheme to be formed. The scheme would manage monthly payouts to members.
They further demanded a full audit of the entire Nam-Mic and Namit investments by independent auditors.
