Windhoek: Walu Fishing Investments Managing Director, Erna Loch, has accused the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform of unfair treatment and discrimination in the implementation of the Government Employment Redress Programme (GERP). Loch, in a recent statement addressed to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, claimed that the system has failed to deliver genuine empowerment to the fishing industry.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Loch asserted that the GERP has been misused for political gain, leaving hundreds of fishermen unemployed or receiving salaries without actual work at sea. She alleged that Walu Fishing's repeated appeals for fishing quotas to sustain jobs were ignored despite having vessels and the capacity to employ Namibians.

Loch emphasized that the employment redress programme was not about real empowerment and appeared to have been created as a political tool to secure votes from fishermen, rather than to uplift lives or build sustainable employment. She stated that Walu Fishing employed 117 fishermen between 2020 and 2021 and later sustained 223 workers from its own funds, despite insufficient quota allocations. The company continued paying salaries even without income, but was later threatened with cancellation of its designation agreement.

Loch further criticized the quota system, noting that allocations of 10 metric tonnes of hake and 30 metric tonnes of horse mackerel per person are not enough to sustain a vessel or maintain employment. She also lamented that recommendations by a 2022 National Assembly investigation, which called for quota support to Walu Fishing, were ignored.

The GERP was implemented under a Cabinet directive to secure permanent employment for former fishermen affected by retrenchments in 2015. In response, the ministry explained that companies were invited through public advertisements to apply for designation under the programme, and that an inter-ministerial evaluation committee assessed applicants' capacity to employ fishermen.

The ministry clarified that the programme was not created as a funding model or collateral to attract investors, but only to ensure that affected people are gainfully employed. It added that agreements are legally binding and companies unable to fulfil obligations face cancellation. The ministry maintained that several designated companies have successfully implemented the programme with the same resources, and that Walu Fishing voluntarily signed the agreement, fully aware of its conditions.