APP calls for Rundu Cash and Carry closure after food safety complaints

All People’s Party secretary general Vincent Kanyetu has called for the Cash and Carry supermarket at Rundu to be closed since it allegedly habitually repackages and sells expired food items.

Kanyetu was reacting to a video of Cash and Carry employees allegedly repackaging rotten potatoes, which went viral on social media.

The video was made by labour consultant Linus Neumbo, who was informed by employees that they were busy repackaging potatoes that were spoiled.

Upon arrival, he reportedly came across employees with plastic covers on their hands, busy repackaging more than 200 bags of potatoes.

Neumbo, who confirmed filming the employees, said he immediately ordered the employees to stop what they were doing as he has the right to do so in terms of the Labour Act.

He stated that according to information received from the employees, expired food items such as maize meal is also repackaged.

“There are a lot of health hazards in this shop, clearly they don’t care about the health of the Namibian people,” Neumbo said.

He noted that he reported the matter to the Rundu Town Council as well as the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation.

Kanyetu meanwhile said he has previously received complaints from employees of the same shop that they were made to repackage spoiled chicken.

The divisional head of public and environmental health at the Rundu Town Council, Tuwilika Hamukoto said they visited Rundu Cash and Carry on Monday and confiscated many food items that were not fit for human consumption.

These included bags of maize meal that were allegedly being sifted and repackaged. The potatoes were also confiscated on Saturday.

Hamukoto said the supermarket however cannot be closed as it was the first complaint to be laid against them, adding that closing it will only be an option if there is a second complaint of this nature.

One of the owners of Cash and Carry, who did not want to disclose his identity, confirmed that the Town Council’s health inspectors had visited the shop.

He however insisted that they were just repackaging potatoes that were not spoiled.

The shop falls under the Rani group of companies, which made headlines in December when employees petitioned their management over low wages and poor working conditions.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency