Evilastus Kaaronda (born 1974 or 1975 in Otjiwarongo)[1] is a Namibian trade unionist and politician.
[4] He previously served as the secretary general of the National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW).
[5] Kaaronda is considered a new breed of unionist,[6] that more than compromising workers' interest to be politically complacent with the power structures, maintains an outspoken approach on the many polemic issues that affect the workers.
His criticisms include support on a people-oriented Basic Income Grant, skepticism on the precarious short-term labour contracts proposed by the TIPEEG[7] program, demands to hold accountable those who were responsible for the N$600 million Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) lost through botched investments in a series of politically connected start-ups, and ultimately to improve the status of the workers rather than decrease them as incentive for foreign investment.
[9] In 2012, Kaaronda was fired from NUNW alongside its president Elias Manga, citing "gross non-compliance with regard to his duties and responsibilities", the "disunity, division and mistrust" on his part.