Sostenus Wilherm
The Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) has called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the death of its Uis Branch chairperson, Filemon Mwashindange, who collapsed while on duty at Uis Tin Mine on Monday.
Mwashindange collapsed while on duty on Monday and subsequently died, according to a statement issued by MUN Secretary General George Ampweya on Tuesday.
Ampweya said the union would not speculate on the cause of death but stressed that the incident requires serious attention.
“At this stage, the Union does not wish to speculate on the cause or circumstances of his death. Those facts must be established through a thorough, transparent and credible investigation,” Ampweya said.
The union is demanding to be meaningfully involved in the investigation and wants authorities to establish whether workplace, occupational health, environmental or operational factors may have contributed to the fatality.
MUN also called for workers who witnessed the incident to be protected from intimidation, victimisation or disciplinary action for providing truthful information during the investigation.
Ampweya further called for employees affected by the death, particularly witnesses, to receive appropriate psychological and trauma support.
“Every worker who reports for duty has a legitimate expectation of returning home to their family. One death at work is one death too many,” he said.
The union said it would closely follow the investigation and engage management and relevant authorities to ensure that the circumstances surrounding Mwashindange’s death are properly established and that accountability and corrective action follow where necessary.
MUN extended its condolences to Mwashindange’s family, colleagues and fellow union members, describing his death as a painful loss to the union and the workforce at Uis Tin Mine.
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