Gendev workers demand removal of chairpersons, permanent appointment of managing director

Permanent employees of Gendev Fishing Group's land-based factory in Namibia have taken their grievances to the Swapo Party's top leadership, demanding the removal of Guinas Investments chairperson Paulina Haindongo and deputy chairperson Joseph Andreas. The employees also want the current acting managing director Deon Grünschloss to be appointed permanently. They claim the ongoing recruitment process for a new managing director threatens industrial peace and operational stability at the fishing company.

The dispute centers on a vacancy notice issued by independent human resources consultant Lisa Matomola for the permanent managing director position, with applications closing on 20 November 2026. However, documents show that the recruitment process began in August, when the Gendev board resolved to terminate Ruby Rees' acting appointment and appoint Grünschloss to the position from 17 August 2026. A board resolution dated 14 August 2026, adopted through a round-robin process, resolved that the managing director position would be advertised immediately and that an independent consultant would facilitate the recruitment process.

The employees have rejected the recruitment drive, describing it as a "reckless disruption to the hard-won industrial peace and operational stability" achieved following the resolution of previous wage disputes in August. They insist that Grünschloss should be appointed permanently, arguing that he has successfully steered factory operations, stabilised labour relations and maintained workplace discipline. According to the employees, Grünschloss has institutional knowledge dating back to 2014, making him a suitable candidate for the position.

The workers have also turned their attention to Guinas Investments, the ruling party's commercial investment arm, demanding the immediate removal of Haindongo and Andreas from Gendev's board and all linked commercial structures before 30 November 2026. The employees question why the two individuals continue to occupy leadership positions, asking whether they are "truly the only people with business experience in the entire party structures".

The employees have called for an expedited forensic investigation into the company's financial resources, capital allocations and historical management structures under the current board's tenure. They cite Sections 34 and 50(1)(e) of the Labour Act, 2007, and Sections 211(1) and 250 of the Companies Act, 2004, in support of their demands. The employees have given Swapo's leadership seven working days from receipt of the memorandum to provide a satisfactory response and intervene in the matter.

Failure to do so will leave the employees with no option but to exercise their constitutional rights under Article 21(1)(d), which could include a peaceful industrial standstill at the processing facility or a camping protest at Swapo's national headquarters in Windhoek. The demands have placed the ruling party's leadership in a difficult position, with employees seeking political intervention in decisions concerning the management and board of a company linked to the party's commercial structures.

An anonymous source told the Windhoek Observer that the leadership knows the board's tenure is ending in February next year, and concerning attempts for "funny recruitments", this is their last dance, hence the desperation. It remains unclear whether the party leadership will intervene in the board's recruitment process or entertain the demand for the removal of the two Guinas Investments representatives. Haindongo and Andreas could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

Key points

• Employees demand the removal of Guinas Investments chairperson Paulina Haindongo and deputy chairperson Joseph Andreas from Gendev's board.
• The employees want the current acting managing director Deon Grünschloss to be appointed permanently.
• The dispute centers on the ongoing recruitment process for a new managing director, which the employees claim threatens industrial peace and operational stability.