Also known as: Gendev Fishing · Gendev Fishing Group · Gendev Fishing Resource · Gendev Fishing Resources · Gendev Fishing Resources (Pty) Ltd · Renthia Kaimbi Gendev Fishing Group · Gendev Fishing Group (Pty) Ltd
Gendev Fishing Group/Gendev Fishing Resources — fishing company with Swapo ownership links, facing wage disputes with workers, financial pressures, and forensic audit ordered by President.
News reports
Order a long-term news report on Gendev
Every mention in the Namibian press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.
Informanté
SWAPO fishing company Gendev Fishing Resources owns 45% of Hadago Fishing
“Hadago Fishing is 45% owned by SWAPO fishing company Gendev Fishing Resources, in which the SWAPO-owned company Guinas Investments is a 96.5% shareholder.”
Fishing vessel Venus One linked to SWAPO company to be auctioned on 30 JuneWindhoek Observer
Joseph Andreas has served on the board of Gendev Fishing Group since August 2023
“He said he has served on the board of Gendev Fishing Group since August 2023, where the company employs more than 600 workers.”
Andreas pursues defamation claims over Facebook commentsThe Namibian
Gendev Fishing Resources was owed about N$47 million in catching fees by Hodago Fishing
“The report states that Hodago owed Gendev Fishing Resources about N$47 million in catching fees.”
Swapo-linked firm hit by US$3m fish rowThe Namibian
Gendev Fishing Group operates in the wet-landed horse mackerel sector with land-based factories employing about 700 workers
“Gendev Fishing Group and Princess Brand are currently the only companies that operate in the wet-landed horse mackerel sector.”
Namibian fishing unions demand long-term job security in horse mackerel sectorThe Namibian
Gendev Fishing is included in the small group of companies in wet-landed horse mackerel subsector granted recent relaxation
“The recent relaxation applies to a small group of companies in the wet-landed horse mackerel subsector, including Gendev Fishing and Princess Brand, which process fish on land.”
Government to formalise 200m trawling ban as industry questions temporary relaxationThe Namibian
Gendev Fishing is one of only two companies that do wet-landed horse mackerel
“Gendev Fishing and Princess Brand are the only companies that do wet-landed horse mackerel which is further processed in their land-based factories where they employ about 1 300 workers.”
Namibia fishing industry divided over cabinet relaxation of 200m isobath ruleThe Namibian
Gendev announced plans to retrench approximately 489 employees
“She said the company has announced plans to retrench about 489 employees due to operational challenges.”
Fish quota auctions fuel job insecurity – workersNew Era
Gendev sent home about 90 permanent employees last week
“About 90 permanent employees of Gendev Fishing Group were sent home last week, shortly after arriving for work.”
90 Gendev employees in limboNew Era
Gendev notified the ministry of labour of a contemplated retrenchment of 489 employees in February
“In February, the company notified the ministry of labour of a contemplated retrenchment of 489 employees.”
90 Gendev employees in limboThe Namibian
Gendev Fishing allegedly sent workers packing without pay
“Fishing company Gendev Fishing, which is partially owned by Swapo, has allegedly sent workers packing without pay.”
Swapo’s Gendev sends workers home without payAt least 22 fishermen employed by Hodago Fishing have moved onto the vessel Venus 1 in protest of unpaid salaries, saying they have exhausted other options after months without pay and failed attempts to contact company directors. The workers, some evicted from homes and facing bank debts, vow to remain on board until their outstanding salaries are paid.
25 September 2026 · New Era →
At least 22 fishermen employed by Hodago Fishing have moved onto the vessel Venus 1 in protest of unpaid salaries, saying they have exhausted other options after months without pay and failed attempts to contact company directors. The workers, some evicted from homes and facing bank debts, vow to remain on board until their outstanding salaries are paid.
25 September 2026 · New Era →
Employees of Gendev Fishing Group submitted a petition to management calling for the removal of two company directors and raising concerns over implementation issues.
18 September 2026 · Namibian Sun →
Petrina Nghipudilo Ya Shiindi of the Independent Patriots for Change faces a defamation lawsuit from businessman Josef Andreas, who is demanding N$250,000 and a public apology for comments Ya Shiindi made on Facebook between March and May 2026, alleging Andreas is corrupt and involved in state capture and the Fishrot scandal. Despite the court case, Ya Shiindi has continued to post accusations against Andreas on social media.
12 August 2026 · Informanté →
The Namibian Competition Commission found no evidence of anti-competitive behaviour or collusion among fishing companies in the horse mackerel sector following two separate investigations in 2023 and 2024. Evidence showed that rights holders negotiate varied terms with operating companies, including profit-sharing and fees above government reserve prices.
11 August 2026 · The Namibian →
Gendev Fishing Group has proposed paying workers 70% of their guaranteed 195-hour salary during periods when the company is not fully operational, but the union continues to demand 100% of the guarantee, leaving wage negotiations deadlocked. The company says it cannot afford the union's demand due to limited fishing quota and grounds.
11 August 2026 · The Namibian →
Around 600 workers employed by Gendev Fishing Group remain on strike as negotiations continue over wage increments. The Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers' Union president says the company's claimed 120% wage offer is misleading, as it includes housing and transport allowances rather than raising the basic hourly wage from N$29.60 to N$30.00 — a 1% increase when the union had requested 8%.
28 July 2026 · Informanté →
Local company CitiProduce CC has taken Gendev Fishing Group to court over failure to deliver fish worth N$3.1 million under an oral agreement from December 2025. Gendev is separately embroiled in a salary dispute with workers and is the subject of a forensic audit ordered by the President in May 2026 following allegations of missing millions.
25 July 2026 · Informanté →
Salary negotiations between Gendev Fishing Group and the Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers Union (Nasawu) remained deadlocked after the union rejected the company's wage proposal, which offered to increase guaranteed monthly salaries from N$2,960 to N$6,700 and raise guaranteed working hours from 98 to 195 hours per month. Workers subsequently embarked on strike, with union representative Paul Hango expressing disappointment that the company had directly encouraged workers to accept the offer.
24 July 2026 · New Era →
The Namibia Seamen and Allied Workers Union has rejected Gendev Fishing Group's proposal to raise the basic monthly salary from N$3,850.95 to N$6,800 for 195 hours per month, arguing it does not constitute a genuine increment but rather payment for standard working hours. The company issued a 24-hour ultimatum and framed the move as a 120% increase, while the union maintains that paying workers for hours actually worked is not a pay rise.
24 July 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Gendev Fishing Group's management has given employees less than 24 hours to accept a new salary structure offering a 120% nominal increase in gross pay to N$6,700 per month for 195 hours, despite the union's rejection of the terms. Workers who decline face remaining on the current N$2,960 monthly rate after the deadline passes.
23 July 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Daron Namibia has rejected allegations that it misappropriated funds from a N$40-million Democratic Republic of Congo fishing venture now in a High Court dispute involving Standard Bank Namibia and Hodago Fishing. Daron says its role was limited to operating and maintaining the fishing vessel, and that it did not receive or control the N$40 million.
30 June 2026 · The Namibian →
The Democratic Republic of Congo's state social fund has taken Standard Bank Namibia to court over a N$40-million transaction involving a fishing company that is partly owned by Swapo, alleging that N$13 million was misappropriated from a protected account after the bank allowed unauthorized changes to account mandates and transfers without consent.
24 June 2026 · The Namibian →
Hodago Fishing, a company 45% owned by Gendev Fishing Resources (which has links to Swapo business interests), faces financial pressure as its flagship freezer trawler, Venus 1, is set for auction in Walvis Bay on 30 June following unpaid debts to Standard Bank Namibia of N$18.4 million and N$17.6 million.
10 June 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Hadago Fishing's freezer trawler Venus 1 will be auctioned on 30 June 2026 in Walvis Bay after the company failed to repay debts to Standard Bank Namibia and workers' wages. The vessel, valued at N$65 million, is being sold following a High Court order to recover millions owed by the fishing company, which is 45% owned by SWAPO-linked Gendev Fishing Resources.
8 June 2026 · Informanté →
Namibia's fisheries ministry says quota holders may enter private commercial agreements with third parties to use allocated quotas, a practice it characterizes as private business arrangements. The statement follows a disputed agreement between a DRC-linked entity and Namibian fishing companies over horse mackerel quota.
4 June 2026 · The Namibian →
A Windhoek High Court judge has authorised the deputy sheriff to sell Hodago Fishing's vessel Venus 1 through public auction after the financially troubled company failed to repay Standard Bank Namibia N$36 million in loan and facility agreements. Gendev Fishing Resources, in which the Swapo-owned company Guinas Investments holds 96.5%, has 45% shareholding in Hodago Fishing.
25 May 2026 · The Namibian →
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has ordered a forensic investigation into Gendev Fishing Resources and its sister company amid allegations of missing millions, lack of transparency, and failure to deliver fish worth over N$49 million to clients.
25 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Businessman Joseph Andreas has launched legal action against two Facebook users over posts published on 15 May, demanding public apologies, removal of the posts, and N$250 000 each in damages. The posts allegedly described Andreas as a "thug" and criminal, and claimed he had no legitimate business track record.
19 May 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
Hodago Fishing, a joint venture partly linked to Swapo, faces a US$3 million legal dispute after allegedly breaching a horse mackerel quota agreement with a Democratic Republic of Congo entity. The DRC-linked party claims the company failed to meet agreed delivery volumes and has demanded either the release of 500 tonnes of fish or repayment of US$1.4 million.
17 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibian fishing unions are pressuring wet-landed horse mackerel sector companies to ensure job security beyond a temporary 12-month employment period created after Cabinet relaxed the 200-metre isobath rule. Union officials argue that the approximately 700 jobs are temporary, lack benefits, and operate under a 'no-work, no-pay' arrangement, calling instead for meaningful, long-term employment solutions in the fishing industry.
4 May 2026 · The Namibian →
The government will turn the 200-metre isobath trawling prohibition into law by September. Cabinet's recent decision to allow limited fishing in the zone is temporary and will end in 2027.
28 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Cabinet approved a temporary 12-month relaxation of trawling limits for wet-landed horse mackerel from 200 metres to 150 metres starting 1 May, a decision the fishing industry views with division. The industry chair warns that over 90 vessels could be excluded from fishing grounds and the move contradicts government scientists' warnings about the 150–200 metre zone being a breeding and nursery area.
27 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Former United Fishing Enterprises workers and others in Namibia's fishing industry have submitted petitions to the Erongo governor, demanding stable employment after years without work since 2018. They cite the pilchard moratorium and quota allocation systems as obstacles to permanent jobs and call for government intervention to create opportunities in the sector.
12 April 2026 · The Namibian →
Employees in Namibia's fishing industry protested the government's planned auction of 6 232 metric tonnes of hake quota, saying the system worsens working conditions and job insecurity. Workers called for quotas to be allocated directly to companies needing production support rather than sold to the highest bidder.
1 April 2026 · New Era →
Workers from five fishing companies petitioned the Ministry of Agriculture demanding an end to the quota auction system, saying it fuels job insecurity and prevents long-term employees from securing permanent contracts. They argue the auction system favours the highest bidders, prevents companies from predicting future capacity, and has led to workers remaining on fixed-term contracts for years and widespread retrenchments in the sector.
31 March 2026 · The Namibian →
About 90 permanent employees of Gendev Fishing Group were sent home last week, with no clarity on their status. The move follows the company's earlier notification of a contemplated retrenchment of 489 workers, attributed to sustained financial losses, reduced revenue, and an inadequate quota allocation of 3,351 metric tonnes against the company's 45,000-tonne annual capacity.
30 March 2026 · New Era →
Fishing company Gendev Fishing, partially owned by Swapo, sent approximately 80–90 permanent employees home without pay on 23 March with no clarity on when salaries would be restored, after previously announcing plans to retrench 489 workers due to operational challenges and limited fishing quotas.
28 March 2026 · The Namibian →
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform has referred compensation claims from 252 former Samherji employees to the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations, noting that affected workers were already considered under a government redress programme aimed at reintegrating them into the fishing industry following the company's 2019–2020 closure. Some former employees argue that placement at other companies does not fully address their financial losses.
25 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Tucna president Paulus Hango warned of a nationwide fishing industry strike if workers' concerns are not addressed, citing over 600 job losses last year, 490 jobs at risk, unpaid workers since October, and systematic exclusion of unions from employment agreements signed by government and companies. Workers also raised concerns including lack of protective equipment, quota allocation issues, and inadequate consultation before layoffs.
19 February 2026 · New Era →
The Trade Union Congress of Namibia warns it may pursue legal action against fishing companies including Gendev Fishing over workers' complaints of poor conditions, delayed salaries, and unsafe working environments. Workers across multiple fishing firms report delayed pay, inconsistent hours, lack of benefits, and inadequate protective equipment despite repeated attempts to resolve disputes with management.
18 February 2026 · The Namibian →