Cheetah Cement ordered closure

Namibia’s labour ministry has ordered Chinese-owned Cheetah Cement plant at Otjiwarongo to stop production due to health concerns.

The ministry says a team of occupational safety, health and labour inspectors concluded after an inspection that the company's plant is an unsafe working environment. The ministry's acting executive director, Lydia Indombo, says the ministry identified shortfalls and contraventions in terms of health regulations, and that the company was instructed to make improvements in this area.

Transgressions include the lack of  suitable protective equipment for employees and that the cement plant has failed to provide adequate sanitary conveniences, canteens and emergency medical aid emergency arrangements to employees.

“Requests by the ministry to ensure compliance have however fallen on deaf ears as the ministry has on various occasions engaged the management of Cheetah Cement, but no improvements have been made to date since the inspection held on 3 May 2022,” Ms Indombo stated.