Why Is Herero Mall Singled Out?

IT SEEMS there is a huge fight between different stakeholders regarding the precious Herero Mall in Katutura.

Given the fact that the City of Windhoek has preliminarily allowed the vendors at the mall to operate illegally there, that has put a burden on the municipality to work faster to ensure that the Herero Mall is either properly regulated in its current form or is closed and turned into another business. But the City of Windhoek took and is still taking too long to act in terms of proper regulations for the Herero Mall.Effective regulations such as fencing the area, erection of toilets, issuing of licenses to all business vendors that are fit to be issued with such licenses and then proclamation of the area as a business area will put end to all unwanted activities that led to the trimming of the famous H-Mall operation hours from 07H00 to 19H00.The issuing of licences and fencing of the area will ensure that those vendors who do not adhere to rules and regulations of the municipality will be directly dealt with. The erection of a fence would ensure effective control of who comes in and out especially criminals after committing crimes and children after hours.This would have stopped the altercation. The intentions of the Katutura constituency councillor are awesome and one would praise such efforts by our leaders to try and curb all the dirty works surrounding the famous H-Mall, but the councillor’s approach of intimidation and iron hand is very uncalled for from a son of the same community.In a democratic society people are either convinced or consulted, not threatened or intimidated, Namibia belongs to everyone, even the former enemies. The famous H- Mall is managed by the H-Mall committee and this committee has to be consulted and holistically integrated in all efforts concerning the mall.The handling of the H-Mall reflects the old apartheid era but remember those days are gone. The whole H-Mall issue forced people into a corner whereby one is forced to attach tribal connotations to it and label it as pathetic effort to sabotage the Ovaherero people economically, which is against the spirit reflected in the preamble of our constitution. The question is: When the Herero mall closes at 19H00 where do people go? They go to Eveline Street, and who owns Eveline Street? The enforcement of law guiding illegal shebeens should be of general application to all illegal shebeens, from Okahandja Park, Eveline Street, Damara location, famous Herero Mall and Single Quarters as well as other places operating illegally and not only targeting a group of people or individuals.The police claim that Herero Mall has become a host to criminal activities. I am not saying that there are no illegal activities going on but statistics must tell the truth and comparisons should be made. When the above are implemented, the famous H-Mall will become one of the best African traditional malls which reflect the good effort of Africans trying to emancipate themselves from poverty.Eron KuzatjikeKatutura Central ConstituencyNOTE: In all fairness, the Namibian Police and the Windhoek City Police have from time to time pounced on shebeens and other noisy places. The call should be for them to do that more often and consistently. – Ed