The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources and Community Development held a consultative meeting this week with the former employees of Air Namibia.

The meeting was in response to the two petitions submitted by the disgruntled employees of the now-liquidated airline to the National Assembly.

The former employees appealed to the committee to summon stakeholders to explain the delays in the payment of their severance packages.

The representative of the ex-workers, Renier Bougard, accused stakeholders of lacking empathy and disregarding the initial payment agreement for severance packages.

Bougard stated that their attempts to seek an audience with stakeholders had proven futile.

"They don't care. They don't have any empathy for the workers at Air Namibia. I was told, Listen, we didn't close the airline. Why don't you go to the government of Namibia? Why don't you even come in protest here? Why are you protesting at Air Namibia? We've got this affidavit on the last day of employment, these were terms and conditions at least understood clearly because it seems to me that even the majority of the High Court do not understand the legalities of documents that are signed off."

Among the various issues that the former employees intend to discuss are tax exemptions on their severance packages and a request for 30% interest, citing that the payments that have now been delayed for a period of two years have adversely affected them financially.

The petitioners were also unhappy that Parliament has not urgently addressed their situation, despite receiving two petitions.

They implored the lawmakers to intervene.

"I don't want timelines. I don't want understanding. Because everywhere we go, we understand your situation. But when we walk out the door, there is no communication. There is no help. Then we have to come back. How hard is it? How do you know? If you don't answer that phone call, that person will not tell you to commit suicide. So you have to answer the call at any time of the day. There is no help from the people that we voted into power. They're supposed to be our elders. They're supposed to be our fathers and mothers. I thought this was the house of Namibia."

The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Resources, Nono Katjingisiua, expressed sympathy for the employees and explained that the delays were not intentional.

She clarified that petitions that Parliament receives undergo a process before they are submitted to the relevant committee for further action.

"The report will be opened for you to see what we have recommended, and it will be open for debate and discussions. So the recommendation will then go to the government, and it is also for us as parliament to supervise what we have recommended, whether it is implemented or not. So you are in the good hands of parliament; you came to the right committee, which is also about community development."

Air Namibia was formally liquidated in 2021 due to significant debts of over N$3 billion. The government, as the sole shareholder, could no longer sustain the airline.

The liquidation process has impacted over 600 employees.