Desie Heita
5 January 2009
Windhoek — Tsumeb faces a serious economic deceleration. The Tsumeb Town Council is appealing to Government to speed up the implementation of long-awaited projects in order to soak up the numbers of laid-off mineworkers in the town.
The town council is also pleading with Tsumeb-born children now domiciled in other towns of Namibia because of work, to repatriate a portion of their salaries to their parents and grandparents in Tsumeb.
Tsumeb residents' disposable income has evaporated following the closure of Weatherly's copper mines at Tsumeb West, Tschudi, as well as at Matchless, and Otjihase.
Tsumeb is traditionally a copper mining town.
The closure of mines comes after Government relocated the Oshikoto regional offices, and related auxiliary offices to Omuthiya, taking with it a sizeable chunk of employed people in the town.
The Mayor of Tsumeb, Engel Nawatiseb, said the reduction in the number of employed residents would effectively affect the town's finances, as residents would not be able to pay municipality water and electricity bills, rates and taxes.
"Our electricity is outsourced to the RED (regional electricity distributor), from where we buy in bulk and distribute to consumers. People's pockets could no longer be deep enough to afford these services," said Nawatiseb.
In total, more than 600 mineworkers at Weatherly lost their jobs in December, because of the drop in copper prices.
However, Weatherly's smelter operation in Tsumeb continues to operate. The drop in copper prices does not affect the smelter.
Several sectors have come to the rescue of Tsumeb town, with the Road Contractors Company having started registering ex-mineworkers for the construction of the Tsumeb-Katwitwi Road.
"We appreciate it," said Nawatiseb, adding that the appeal does not go to Government alone.
Nawatiseb said Government could assist by accelerating the implementation of projects such as the long-awaited aquaculture and hydrofoam, that after five years seem to be stuck in bureaucratic delays.
"It is the only solution to Tsumeb and the region," said Nawatiseb.
Weatherly has also donated a water-pump from the abandoned Tsumeb West mine, which the town council plans to use in setting up a mineral water bottling plant.
The mineral water would be marketed through the Trans-Caprivi Highway as well as a number of sister foreign towns that Tsumeb has twinned with throughout the world.
Nawatiseb said the town council is "not compelling Government to intervene, but is appealing for assistance where possible. They must advise us, as we are not necessarily looking for money".
Nawatiseb said the message for 2009 to Tsumeb born young people working in other towns is to think about their elders at home.
"They must look back. It is saddening to see old people going hungry. They must help the elders," said Nawatiseb.
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