EDITORIAL: Not every worker is a victim

In Namibia’s labour landscape, there’s a script we know all too well: the employer is the villain, and the employee, the tragic hero. But not every worker is a victim. And not every employer is a monster.

Enter Andreas Shikomba – the latest protagonist in what has become a theatre of misplaced sympathy. The story began like so many others: an employee at a Chinese-owned factory, fists clenched, righteous anger simmering. The public watched the opening act and did what it always does – it picked sides before the story was finished.

Social media erupted. The familiar chorus of outrage sang in perfect pitch. The Chinese employer was cast as the villain without question.

Then truth – captured in cold, indisputable video footage – emerged.

There was Shikomba, slamming his employer’s desk, demanding money. When words failed to provoke the reaction he sought, he escalated. A knife from one pocket. A punch with the other hand. Violence, not dialogue. Threats, not negotiation.

Then came testimonies from colleagues. Accounts of absenteeism, drunkenness, erratic behaviour. Shikomba hadn’t reported to work for days. On the day he did, he arrived late, reeking of alcohol and demanding a salary advance he hadn’t earned. And just like that, the victimhood unravels.

This is not to say that workers don’t suffer real exploitation – they do, and often. It’s time for a national moment of clarity. Employers must treat workers with dignity – yes. But workers, too, must uphold basic standards of conduct. Being employed doesn’t automatically make one a hero in a labour dispute. Sometimes, it makes you accountable.

Let’s be honest: some employees are bullies, not victims. And they must be called out as such.