NAU president calls for balance between jobs and wages
Rural employment under growing strain
Jacques du ToitNamibia Agricultural Union (NAU) president Thinus Pretorius said the union has to accept that the higher the minimum wage, the fewer workers a farmer can afford to employ.
Speaking at the opening of the Agriculture Employers’ Association’s 37th annual congress recently, Pretorius gave a stark warning about the pressure mounting in the agricultural sector.
“I grew up on a 5 000 ha farm. Back then, we had at least twelve workers. Today, on that same land, I have three,” he told delegates, using his personal experience to highlight how rising labour costs have drastically reduced employment opportunities on farms.
“It’s easy to say, ‘I let three people go.’ But can you still get the work done? Can you grow your industry? Does your farm look the way it should?”
Pretorius said the country’s current economic structure is locked in a self-defeating cycle, with wage increases leading to fewer jobs and shrinking state revenue.
“We also have to accept that there’s less income for the state as a result. And we have to accept that the industry doesn’t grow the way it should,” he warned.
He painted a grim picture of Namibia’s job market, noting that while the official unemployment rate stood at 37% in 2023, it could be closer to 55% when including “demotivated” individuals - those no longer actively seeking work. “This has a serious impact on our social structure – physically, psychologically, and mentally,” he said.
“Physically, we will be confronted with increased crime. A person who has nothing to lose, who is hungry, will do whatever it takes to survive,” Pretorius explained. “Psychologically... such individuals will have low self-esteem. Mentally, we must accept that gender-based violence is something we face daily. These issues are connected.”
Call for political courage
Pretorius emphasised that Namibia’s challenges cannot be solved by copying first-world policy models.
“A first-world problem has to do with ease or stability. A third-world problem has to do with survival,” he said, drawing a clear line between foreign expectations and local realities.
He urged politicians to consider the long-term effects of labour regulation on rural livelihoods. “If we simplify and stimulate employment creation in rural areas, we will also curb urban migration, which is one of the biggest challenges our country is facing.
“We need to ask our politicians to consider the consequences and the long-term sustainability of this balance between unemployment and the minimum wage. It is a delicate balance.”
In closing, Pretorius said job creation must become a national priority. “We need to build pride – national pride, Namibian pride, among ourselves, in our communities, and among our workers. And we need our politicians to help make that possible.”