The Otjikoto B2Gold Mine has reinstated its 160 employees suspended for their alleged involvement in an illegal work stoppage on 30 September 2022.
The employees were suspended effective 01 October 2022 after refusing to work over eight hours per day without compensation, claiming that the company never possessed a valid continuous operations permit from the Ministry of Labour, Industrialisation and Employment Creation which allows it to operate non-stop as employees rotate using a shift roster, despite assurance by the company that it has the valid permit.
Speaking at a media conference here today, Otjikoto B2Gold Board Chairperson Dr Leake Hangala said the employees returned to work on 14 October 2022 with a warning, after the mine, the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations and Employment Creation and the Mineworkers Union of Namibia met on 11 October 2022.
Hangala said during the meeting, the ministry confirmed that the continuous operation permit was valid and that the company should consider lifting the suspensions and imposing a different sanction.
Hangala said the mine has a total employment of 827 permanent employees and 51 temporary workers, with corporate tax paid during 2021 amounting to N.dollars 615 million and royalties paid to the government totalling N.dollars 152.5 million.
(NAMPA)
LD/EK/AS
2 (WINDHOEK, 18 OCT, NAMPA) – Namibia suffered a five-wicket defeat to the Netherlands in the second game of the Twenty-20 (T20) World Cup 2022 today in Geelong, Australia.
Captain Gerhard Erasmus won the toss and chose to bat first as the Eagles posted an unconvincing total of 126 runs for the loss of six wickets (126/6) in their 20 overs in a low-scoring cricket match.
Namibia did not start well as opener Divan la Cock was sent packing with zero on a pitch which suited the bowlers better than the batsmen.
Michael van Lingen and Stephan Baard stabilised Namibia’s batting, with the latter departing for 19 runs off 22 balls and Jan Frylinck top scoring for Namibia after hitting 43 runs from 48 balls.
With a low total to defend, the Netherlands seemed to be cruising as they survived the power play period without losing a wicket, and at one point looked to be cruising to an easy victory with the scoreline standing at 92/1 with six overs remaining.
(NAMPA)
KM/PS/AS
3 (KAMPALA, 18 OCT, XINHUA) – Uganda’s Ministry of Health yesterday said the cumulative number of Ebola deaths in the country has risen to 24 after five new deaths were recorded in the last four days.
The ministry in an update as of 16 October said the cumulative number of confirmed cases has also risen to 60 after two new confirmed cases were recorded.
Meanwhile, the cumulative number of recoveries is 24 while those admitted are 11 cases.
The update comes at a time when the country is grappling with the deadly disease after the index case was announced in the central district of Mubende on 20 September.
Mubende and the neighbouring Kassanda district are under lockdown for 21 days and a night curfew as the government strives to contain the spread of the disease.
The government has also put the capital Kampala under a high response mode in case the disease breaks out in the city.
XINHUA
4 (LONDON, 18 OCT, PA MEDIA/DPA) – British Prime Minister Liz Truss has survived a meeting of the Cabinet without any ministers calling for her to quit, but Tory members and voters appear to be turning on her.
A snap poll of party members released today saw more than half respond that she should resign and 83 per cent say she was doing a bad job.
Downing Street insisted the Cabinet fully supported the prime minister and stressed that Truss was focused on the challenges facing the country rather than party infighting.
Asked whether Truss was concerned about ministers discussing replacing her, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: ‘Her view is she needs to be focused on what is right for the country rather than on any internal discussions among the party at the moment.
‘She is conscious that these are globally difficult times and the UK is in a difficult situation economically.’
DPA
5 (LONDON, 18 OCT, PA MEDIA/DPA) – The winner of the 2022 Booker Prize has said the attack on Salman Rushdie caused him to ‘self-censor’ and discard work amid concerns for his own family.
Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka said that when writing ‘semi-political’ work there was always consideration for whether it would ‘cost you more than you anticipated’.
The writer won the coveted prize with his second novel, ‘The Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida’, yesterday, just over two months after the attack in New York state.
Rushdie was stabbed around a dozen times by 24-year-old Hadi Matar while speaking onstage at the Chautauqua Institution on 12 August.
The Indian-born British novelist has been nominated for the Booker Prize multiple times, winning in 1981 for ‘Midnight’s Children’, which went on to be named the ‘Booker of Bookers’ in 2008.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
