It’s a hard knock life for Namibian street vendors

For the past five years, Hilde Maria (52) has relied on selling fruit, vegetables and snacks outside her house in Windhoek’s Wanaheda area to make ends meet.

Like many street vendors in Namibia, her entrepreneurial journey has been marked by challenges, particularly alleged harassment by the Windhoek City Police.

“I’ve been doing this for over nine years, selling my snacks, bananas and apples. I started out selling outside the local supermarket, but I was told to move from there. I was also in town and was told to move my stuff because it is apparently illegal to sit there.

“Now, I have been outside my house for the past five years and sometimes the officers will try to come here and tell me to stop selling,” Maria says.

Forced into informal trade after losing her job as a cleaner, Maria says she turned to street vending to support her family.

She says the lack of official recognition for street vendors and the constant threat of eviction has made her life difficult.

“I cannot stop selling. It is what gives me money to provide food for my family. I also prefer this job because I work for myself.

“People think our business is a joke because every time the police are telling us to pack up and move somewhere else – like we’re nothing,” she says.

Many Namibians engage in street vending to sustain themselves.

Their business premises are usually a corner at the residence of the property’s owner, a stall at an open market, a rickety table on the pavement outside a shopping centre, or the roadside.

Many, like Charlton Gawanab (38), were pushed into the informal trade after losing formal employment.

Gawanab, who sells a variety of goods to sustain himself and his family opposite another local supermarket, describes the difficulty of navigating an often hostile environment.

“I’ve had a job, but I lost it and had to find a way to live for myself. This is my small business. It is tough. There are drawbacks. It’s not easy trying to live on your own. There were times that I was moved with my stuff from a certain point to another by the City Police, who said I may not sit there and sell my stuff. They have moved us continuously and now we are trying here again,” Gawanab says.

Despite these challenges, he remains determined.

“We are trying our best to live. We have to take care of our children, houses, like normal people. It’s not easy,” he says.

Another vendor, Selma Haufeni, who sells her goods opposite a Windhoek supermarket elsewhere, says the competition is tough.

“There are so many people here selling, because we all want to survive and make money. This is why we are chasing people . . . Customers take from the first person who has what they want. If you sit and wait for customers, you won’t make money,” she says.

This, Haufeni says, often leads to encounters with the police.

“When we chase (after) customers, the police get angry and chase us away. But this is not nice, because then you go home without making money. The police must also understand we just want to make money,” she says.

Last month, The Namibian reported that police officers swooped down on unsuspecting fruit and vegetable vendors outside a Windhoek supermarket.

Earlier this month, the police confiscated goods from street vendors at the main campus of the University of Namibia (Unam).

The police at the time said two officers were on a routine patrolling exercise along Mandume Ndemufayo Avenue near the campus, when they saw two women engaging in street trading, which violated Windhoek’s municipal by-laws.

CITY RULES

City of Windhoek spokesperson Harold Akwenye says the municipality has been removing street vendors in certain areas for various reasons, including that their operations are illegal, ensuring public safety, maintaining order and regulating urban planning.

He says the Windhoek City Police’s by-law unit patrols all areas to identify illegal vendors and to remove them.

“The removal of street vendors may be due to concerns about traffic congestion, hygiene and sanitation issues in specific areas. Additionally, the city might have zoning regulations that restrict street vending in certain zones to maintain the overall cityscape,” Akwenye says.

The municipality has regulations governing street vending. These rules vary and can include licensing requirements, designated vending zones and restrictions on vending near road reserves or high-traffic areas.

“Street vendors are often not allowed in areas with heavy traffic, as this can create congestion. Additionally, vending outside city markets. Bottom line, vendors shouldn’t operate if they do not have a permit from the City of Windhoek’s Economic Development Department,” Akwenye says.

He says it is essential for street vendors to be aware of local regulations, obtain the necessary permits or licences, and to operate within the designated areas to avoid potential conflict with law-enforcement agencies.

“However as a caring city, it’s also important for the council to consider the livelihoods of these vendors and work towards finding amicable solutions that balance their economic activities with urban planning and safety concerns,” he says.

The municipality has made provision for about 16 permanent markets, such as the Soweto market and the Oshetu Community Market, Akwenye says.

‘NO NUISANCE’

Danny Meyer, the director of SMEs Compete, says the majority of businesses in Namibia operate in the informal sector.

He says this sector is also the country’s business incubator, where an enterprise culture is spawned, nurtured and developed.

“Like them or not, but there is no doubt that informal enterprises are important providers of goods and services in rural areas, settlements, villages and towns across Namibia, and significant contributors to the nation’s gross domestic product.

“It appears the informal sector is not popular in some quarters and is considered as nothing more than a disturbance and a nuisance,” Meyer says.

He says officials and at times even elected leaders openly display hostility and view street vendors as mere violators of municipality by-laws.

“One only hears of informal operators posing a potential health or fire hazard and obstructing traffic. This becomes the justification for creating yet another open market located far away from a target market and customers,” Meyer says.

Despite this, Namibia’s informal sector is a significant contributor to the economy.

He says it is high time the informal sector receives attention, adding it deserves greater support as Namibia grapples with finding ways to grow its economy.

“Ways must also be found, government and local authority rules and regulations must be made more business friendly and programmes should be crafted to accelerate the migration of informal enterprises to mainstream business,” Meyer says.

He says going forward in the new year, policymakers and implementers should place the informal sector high on the country’s economic development agenda.