BY 09H30 on Monday, the area outside the Stop and Shop open market in Okuryangava, Katutura was already teeming with informal traders who were overcrowding the pavements.
Finding one’s way around was difficult because of the second-hand clothes, fruit, meat, fish, vegetables and traditional food that had been put on display and blocking the way.
The open market, where the City of Windhoek provided stalls, used to be the only busy area. But when trading space became unavailable, new informal traders started occupying the space outside. At this market, people of all ages sell different goods. Most of the traders are women selling stuff from the boots of their cars.
The Namibian spoke to some entrepreneurs at the market to get an insight into their operations.
Naemi Uule (56) is one of those who has carved open a space for herself on the pavement, where she sells winter blankets from a wheelbarrow. Uule orders the blankets from South Africa, and said business is slowly improving with the winter approaching.
“The little money I get, I use to feed my family,” she added.
The next stop was at a stall owned by David Kasanga (42), who sells oryx meat. This stall was quite popular with customers. He welcomed The Namibian, enthusing that “this is how we make a living.”
Kasanga said he can make as much as N$2 000 per day because he has three other stands providing similar services in other locations in Windhoek. He uses the money he makes to pay for his five children’s education at the University of Namibia, and also pays his workers as they too have obligations of their own.
Anna Hamutenya, who was selling fish from the boot of a car, said she had seen an opportunity in the informal sector that she could not let slip away while waiting for the City of Windhoek to provide more open markets.
“I cannot go hungry and live in poverty, waiting for the municipality for years to open a market while there are open spaces here,” she stressed.
Gottlieb Shimanda, who was also selling eggs from the back of his bakkie, said he only opted to sell from his car after he failed to get a stall inside the market.
Meanwhile, Johannes Nakathingo (27), who sells kapana inside the market, stated that it has become difficult for them to get customers because there are a lot of people outside who are also providing similar services.
“Customers end up buying goods outside the market, which is not fair. We also pay for the space that we are using, but there are no benefits. In addition, our market is very dirty,” he complained.
The Namibian reported earlier last month that more and more Namibians are turning to informal employment.
According to a survey carried out by the Namibia Statistics Agency last year, the Namibian labour force survey showed that 57% of the 725 742 employed people in the country are in the informal sector.
This is not the first time that Namibians have opted for informal employment, as opposed to the full benefits of the formal sector.
In 2016, the labour force survey showed that informal employment was the main employer, accommodating about 67% of employed people in the country. Both the 2016 and 2018 surveys have also shown that women are the majority players in the informal employment sector.
City of Windhoek spokesperson Lydia Amutenya on Monday told The Namibian that the illegal traders operating in front of the market in Okuryangava were allocated trading space at Erf 447, Ongava Street – an open space opposite the clinic.
The traders have, however, abandoned their stalls at this space and reverted to illegal trading in front of the market, despite efforts to inform and educate them regarding the requirements and procedures to apply for stalls within the markets.
“There are ongoing efforts with the by-laws unit of the City Police to inform and educate illegal operators that they are not allowed to operate in the streets, or at the entrances of markets. This is to ensure the safety of the operators within the markets, as well as their clients,” Amutenya noted.
