Kaupumhote Pohamba not paying minimum wage

President Hifikepunye Pohamba’s daughter’s company, Kata Investments, which was awarded a tender by the National Housing Enterprise to build houses in Otjiwarongo, is in breach of the new minimum wage for construction workers. The company has further failed to live up to its promise of using 30 women in the project, as said by Presidential Affairs Minister Albert Kawana in a statement issued in Parliament last week Tuesday. The female construction workers are employed only to push wheelbarrows and do other menial jobs. The awarding of the tender to Kaupumhote Pohamba and her business partner, Taschiona !Gawaxas, has been frowned upon by many, although State House insisted that the tender was above board and that the Head of State had no influence in the awarding of the N$16.4 million tender to his daughter. When Namibian Sun visited the construction site at Otjiwarongo on Friday, only two women were found cleaning up debris at Saamstaan location and claimed they were paid N$7 per hour. These wages are not in line with either the old minimum wage of N$12.11 an hour or the new wage of N$13.36, which came into effect on June 1. These women, who are residents of the Blikkiesdorp informal settlement, were also not provided with safety gear, which is in contradiction of the agreed conditions of employment for the industry. According to a single mother of two, who preferred anonymity, she has been working at the site since April, while another was hired two weeks ago. “We are only two women, as you can see. We work in a harsh industry and only to be paid a measly N$1 200 at the end of the month. “I have been working on this site since April, and I have never seen the many women who were to work on this project. I think the company did not hire as many because the workload is not much,” said the single mother. When Namibian Sun approached the site manager Kenneth Kalipi for comment at the site, he denied that only two women had been hired, saying the six subcontractors had employed many but they are no longer working because the project is near completion. He said for every four foremen or artisans at the site, there was a woman hired to assist. The project started in January and was scheduled to build 71 houses by July, but the completion date has been extended to October. When asked about the low salaries, Kalipi said the two women, who are employed by Kata, are paid only N$9 per hour and are not provided with safety equipment because they are not permanent employees of the company. “I did not know that their salaries are low and not in agreement with the new rates. I might have missed those requirements but not on purpose. I will however take it up with management so the two women’s salaries can be adjusted,” he said. “As for supplying the women with safety gear, we could not do so as the company did not provide for such to non-permanent employees. This is why we are not strict on them. We told them they could wear whatever they wanted to when reporting for work.” Last week, Metal and Allied Namibian Workers Union (MANWU) General Secretary Justina Jonas called on construction workers to ensure they are not paid less than what is stipulated in the minimum wage agreement.