About 180 fishermen who were previously employed by the Samherji-owned Saga Seafood, which operated from Walvis Bay, say they are facing hardships after the company closed down in 2020.
They now want to be assisted by government, as they lost their jobs exactly two years ago when the company’s vessels, Saga and Geysir, left without workers being informed they were pulling out of Namibia. The fishermen were later paid out their severance packages following an intervention by unions.
Saga Seafood said they failed to secure any catch agreements with other local companies, resulting in its closure, leaving at least 210 fishermen without jobs. Samherji, is at the centre of the international fishing bribery scandal implicating former Namibian ministers Sacky Shanghala and Bernhard Esau, as well as local businessmen.
Samherji reportedly secured access to horse mackerel quotas in Namibia by paying bribes of around N$150 million to politicians and businessmen between 2012 and 2018. Following the scandal, the company announced in 2020 that it is disinvesting its operation in Namibia.
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