Africa-Press – Namibia.
South West Africa National Union (Swanu) president Evilastus Kaaronda has proposed a review and renegotiation of the partnership between De Beers and the Namibian government.
The party wants the local government to own the majority share.
“There is no logical reason for De Beers to continue being an equal shareholder in this arrangement,” he stated, tabling a motion in Parliament last Tuesday.
“How can we give wealth to foreign nationals only to ask them for money when they made the very same money selling our natural resources?” he questioned the august house.
Kaaronda said certain nations are monopolising the mining industry to the detriment of local people, who languish in deep poverty, where children die of food poisoning by eating alcohol residues.
De Beers and Namibia jointly own the Namdeb Diamond Corporation and Debmarine Namibia – each at 50%.
Swanu is advocating for the Namibian economic system to nationalise and transfer major branches of industry and commerce from private to State ownership and control.
Kaaronda critiqued the country’s current relationships in the gas and oil industry, green hydrogen as well as the plundering of fisheries resources through fishing rights and quotas.
He implored that these cannot be allowed to persist, nor should “these exploitative agreements” between government and international capital be allowed to continue unhindered.
Kaaronda said the Husab and Swakop Uranium are essentially owned by the Chinese government, hence the Namibian government finds it reasonable to ask the Chinese for soft loans.
The parliamentarian added: “We must nationalise and rethink our state of being as a nation. There is no reason why the State cannot enter the commercial banking space and directly finance rural development activities”.
This includes housing and agricultural projects for food security.
“Ownership of different mines should be dominated by locals as opposed to foreign nationals,” he maintained.
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