Publications
Press Statements
Browse ESJT public resources.
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ESJT publications arranged for reading and downloading.
Publication archive
Publications.
Press statements and public resources.
Jul 12, 2022
Open Letter to the Minister of Environment re Marine Phosphate Mining
ESJT writes to Minister Pohamba Shifeta criticising the Chamber of the Environment's CEO Dr Chris Brown for aggressively promoting NMP's marine phosphate mining despite having no marine science qualifications. Challenges the Chamber's claimed independence, given it was founded with seed money from B2Gold mining company.
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Jan 26, 2021
Utilisation of Namibia's Bush Biomass
ESJT raises concerns about a German-backed proposal to export Namibian bush biomass to Hamburg for energy generation, arguing it replicates a colonial trade pattern. Proposes Namibia use biomass locally for housing boards, school furniture, energy generation, and job creation through Biomass Industrial Parks.
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Dec 20, 2020
A Time to Show Solidarity with Shoprite Workers
ESJT statement issued on the first day of the December 2020 Shoprite strike. Recounts years of labour rights violations and union-busting. Calls on Namibians to join a consumer boycott of Shoprite stores and show solidarity with workers demanding a N$2,500 entry-level salary and N$600 monthly increase.
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Mar 31, 2020
Saving Livelihoods: Coronavirus Requires Decisive Action
ESJT responds to COVID-19's arrival in Namibia, arguing the pandemic has exposed structural failures in housing, sanitation, and healthcare. Proposes immediate measures: wage support for reduced-hour workers, an emergency Basic Income Grant, moratorium on evictions and debt repayments, and public investment in water and sanitation infrastructure.
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Jan 29, 2019
Venezuela's Right to Self-Determination Must Be Respected
ESJT condemns US-backed efforts to install Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's president, framing it as imperialist interference. Argues the US-imposed economic blockade caused Venezuela's humanitarian crisis, calls for sanctions to be lifted, and draws parallels to US interventions in Latin America and support for apartheid South Africa.
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Sep 16, 2018
Letter to Environmental Commissioner re Marine Phosphate Mining
Formal letter to Environmental Commissioner Teofilus Nghitila urging permanent cancellation of NMP's environmental clearance certificate. Invokes the UN precautionary principle, highlights the Benguela ecosystem's fragility, criticises NMP's biased EIA process, and warns that seabed destruction would be irreversible.
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Jun 20, 2018
Responsible Decision Taken on Marine Phosphate Mining
ESJT welcomes the Minister of Environment's decision to set aside NMP's environmental clearance certificate. Praises trustee Michael Gaweseb's pro bono legal challenge and warns that marine phosphate mining poses irreversible risks to the Benguela ecosystem, Namibia's fishing industry (N$7 billion in exports), and 76,800 direct and indirect jobs.
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May 16, 2017
Justice for the Shoprite Workers!
ESJT condemns Shoprite's mass dismissal of 176 workers in Rundu and Gobabis and ongoing disciplinary hearings against 100+ Windhoek workers following the 2015 strike. Details union-busting tactics, segregated employment contracts, poverty wages below N$2,000/month, and the company spending N$3.3 million on disciplinary hearings instead of meeting workers' demands.
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Oct 11, 2016
Right to Strike Needs to be Defended
ESJT defends teachers' constitutional right to strike after the Namibian government threatened to use replacement teachers to break a strike over an 8% salary demand. Calls on government to return to the negotiating table in good faith and stop undermining labour law.
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Nov 25, 2014
Strong Interventions Needed to Solve the Housing Crisis
ESJT calls out failures in Namibia's National Mass Housing Programme, citing tender corruption, NHE's shift towards profit-driven outsourcing, and unaffordable house prices. Demands community-led construction, revival of the Build Together Programme, limits on multiple house ownership, and rent controls.
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