City launches blitz on unlicensed vendors

The City of Windhoek has launched a blitz to rid the capital’s streets of illegal vendors.

The vendors will be relocated to designated areas.

City of Windhoek spokesperson Harold Akwenye yesterday said the police are removing vendors selling their goods along the streets and outside existing markets which have not been registered with the City of Windhoek.

The municipality considers unlicensed activities to be illegal.

“Intensive daily operations are done with the City Police Bylaws Unit to deal with this as such operations are endangering the lives of the people who operate illegally on road reserves and under unhygienic conditions,” Akwenye said.

He said the informal trading sector is one of the fastest-growing sectors in Windhoek, and as a result needs to be properly managed and controlled to avoid conflict between informal trading activities, the formal sector, property owners and the physical environment.

He said the city is busy with a market masterplan and has identified a number of sites where traders are operating.

“The objective of the project is to allocate available and suitable sites within the municipal [area] of Windhoek for the accommodation of the traders, while also looking at the provision of basic services such as running water and ablution facilities, depending on the availability of funds,” Akwenye said.

He said the city is exploring alternative cost-effective measures to develop market facilities, pending the availability of a budget, but will also consider providing permission for vendors to operate from undeveloped sites on a temporary basis.

“The demarcation of an undeveloped site may only be considered in areas /suburbs where no provision for informal markets has been made, or where markets are fully occupied,” he said.

He said using these trading sites would be subject to the payment of a minimal fee and effective arrangements with regards to temporary ablution facilities and waste management solutions.

Akwenye said the city is aware of the high unemployment rate in the capital, especially in certain areas, and wants to construct markets where needed, but funds are not readily available for this.

“Vendors are urged to visit the municipal offices to apply for permission where feasible.

“Due consideration will be given to factors such as the zoning of the site, available space at existing markets, the safety aspects of proposed sites, et cetera, before a person would be given permission to trade,” Akwenye said.

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