Immanuel puts 2 700 employment contracts on priority list

Sostenus Wilherm

Justice and labour relations minister Fillemon Wise Immanuel says resolving the employment contract issues of 2 700 employees is among his priorities, citing the matter as an example of the difficult decisions leaders must make when balancing competing responsibilities.

He was referring to employees currently placed at RANI Traders CC through Employees Placement Services Namibia CC (EPSN) as previously reported by the Windhoek Observer.

Immanuel made the remarks on Thursday while officially opening the ministry of justice and labour relations’ four-day senior management retreat at Gobabis in the Omaheke Region.

He revealed that he recently declined a request from the international relations office to accompany President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to Moscow, Russia, arguing that his responsibilities at the ministry required his attention.

“I have 2 700 employees currently without employment contracts whose issues must be resolved. My priority lies here,” he said.

The retreat, held under the theme “Stronger Together”, runs from 28 to 31 October and brings together senior officials from the departments of Justice and Labour Relations to discuss institutional coordination, leadership and improved service delivery.

In his speech on leadership and strategic realignment, Immanuel challenged senior managers to rethink their leadership roles, arguing that technical expertise alone is insufficient in an increasingly complex working environment.

“True leaders are those who transform uncertainty into opportunity. In a world defined by complexity, leaders do not seek the path of least resistance or the moment of convenience; rather, they find excitement in the very challenges that others might avoid,” he said.

He said modern leadership increasingly depends on influence, vision and the ability to inspire teams towards shared objectives.

According to Immanuel, leaders must create an environment where their presence brings clarity, direction and a shared understanding of institutional goals.

“Today, leadership is defined by social capital. It is measured by your level of influence,” he said, adding that technical knowledge alone was no longer enough to meet the demands of the modern workplace.

He said the retreat was intended to help senior managers establish meaningful connections between people, technology, processes and institutional systems to improve organisational performance.

“The purpose of this meeting is to redefine our roles. We are here to contextualise our thinking and create a meaningful interface between our thoughts, our people, our technology, our processes, and our systems,” Immanuel said.

He also called for stronger institutional systems that ensure decisions are predictable, consistent and guided by established principles rather than the personality of individual leaders.

“We must build a system that can be trusted inherently, rather than relying solely on the personality of a leader,” he said.

Immanuel further stressed the importance of making difficult decisions about priorities and managing staff responsibilities according to operational requirements.

Using annual leave as an example, he said managers should consider the timing of leave requests against the ministry’s critical activities, including strategic programmes and management retreats.

While acknowledging employees’ entitlement to leave, he said managers must exercise objective judgement to ensure that essential work continues.

“The timing is at the discretion of the employer based on operational requirements,” he said.

The retreat will also address estate administration processes at the Master of the High Court, proposed legislative and policy reforms, and systems interoperability between the departments of Justice and Labour Relations.

Other discussions will focus on leadership and organisational performance, professionalism and accountability in the public service, progress in developing laws and policies, and implementation of the ministry’s 2026/2027 Annual Plan.

Team-building activities have also been included in the programme to strengthen trust, communication, collaboration and collective problem-solving among senior managers.

Immanuel urged officials to challenge one another constructively, identify institutional weaknesses and work towards solutions that improve the ministry’s effectiveness.

“Let us do the work. Let us critique one another, challenge different sections, and ask the questions that will take us from Point A to Point B,” he said.

He said the retreat should serve as a turning point for the ministry, reinforcing a shared commitment to accountability, stronger leadership and improved service delivery to Namibians.