Street vendors unite to challenge municipality

A GROUP of around 60 street vendors who used to trade around Windhoek have formed a committee to discuss their problems with the municipality after being chased from their pitches for trading without permits.

The group, calling themselves the ‘Committee of Kapana and Small Businesses’, has been meeting weekly at the Kasu soccer field in Katutura, and have even sent a letter to the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development to air their frustrations. “Our President told us not to sleep but to sell something to improve (our) lifestyles,” said one of the members, Sylvia Uakwama, at a recent meeting.”Please give us permits to sell where we sell.There are schools, houses, water and electricity to be paid.”Besides asking for permission to trade outside existing informal markets, vendors also claimed that City Police officers responsible for removing them used violence and ate the food vendors were selling “instead of at least letting us take it back home to our children.”According to Uakwama, she has a permit to sell at the stalls next to Wernhil Park, but prefers trading next to a taxi rank in town.”They tell us to sell at the stalls, but there’s too much competition at the stalls,” said another committee member, Francis Murangi.”The (City) Police ask us what the tourists will think of us selling on the streets, but the tourists are our best customers,” she added.Responding to the complaints, Municipality Public Relations Practitioner Elizabeth Sibindi said that illegal vendors were removed from places not meant for trading in terms of the Council’s Street Regulations, which regulate the conduct of informal trading businesses in Windhoek.”In the past,” she said, “the lack of sufficient manpower affected the enforcement of the Street Regulations.”However, with the implementation, recruitment and deployment of City Police officers, a full operation is now underway to ensure compliance and orderly informal trading in the City.”According to Sibindi, no trading is allowed within 200 metres of existing informal markets and at dangerous places such as pavements and traffic islands.”It should be noted,” she said, “that some traders are just being advised to ensure the hygiene of the product they sell to the public and to ensure an orderly trading environment.”As far as the conduct of City Police officers was concerned, Sibindi said excessive cases of violence should be reported to the municipality.”It must however be stated that members of the public should co-operate with the Police.A few cases that we are aware of suggest that some members of the public do not want to co-operate in this operation,” she said.”Our President told us not to sleep but to sell something to improve (our) lifestyles,” said one of the members, Sylvia Uakwama, at a recent meeting.”Please give us permits to sell where we sell.There are schools, houses, water and electricity to be paid.” Besides asking for permission to trade outside existing informal markets, vendors also claimed that City Police officers responsible for removing them used violence and ate the food vendors were selling “instead of at least letting us take it back home to our children.”According to Uakwama, she has a permit to sell at the stalls next to Wernhil Park, but prefers trading next to a taxi rank in town.”They tell us to sell at the stalls, but there’s too much competition at the stalls,” said another committee member, Francis Murangi.”The (City) Police ask us what the tourists will think of us selling on the streets, but the tourists are our best customers,” she added. Responding to the complaints, Municipality Public Relations Practitioner Elizabeth Sibindi said that illegal vendors were removed from places not meant for trading in terms of the Council’s Street Regulations, which regulate the conduct of informal trading businesses in Windhoek.”In the past,” she said, “the lack of sufficient manpower affected the enforcement of the Street Regulations.”However, with the implementation, recruitment and deployment of City Police officers, a full operation is now underway to ensure compliance and orderly informal trading in the City.”According to Sibindi, no trading is allowed within 200 metres of existing informal markets and at dangerous places such as pavements and traffic islands.”It should be noted,” she said, “that some traders are just being advised to ensure the hygiene of the product they sell to the public and to ensure an orderly trading environment.”As far as the conduct of City Police officers was concerned, Sibindi said excessive cases of violence should be reported to the municipality.”It must however be stated that members of the public should co-operate with the Police.A few cases that we are aware of suggest that some members of the public do not want to co-operate in this operation,” she said.