Oshakati street vendors up in arms

UNHAPPY vendors at Oshakati yesterday marched to Regional Governor Klemens Kashuupulwa’s office to hand over a petition objecting to a number of new by-laws at the town The demonstrators said they wanted the Governor to rescue them.

The Oshakati Town Council recently passed and approved new by-laws, effective from August 1, that regulate informal trading in Oshakati. The street vendors say the laws are unfair as the council had failed to build a new Open Market (Omatala) as promised long ago.According to the by-laws, each street vendor will need an official trading license; not be allowed to trade at an unauthorised place; no fire or stoves will be allowed on streets; no stones will be allowed to be placed on streets; no permanent structures will be allowed at vending areas; and, food which is risky for human consumption will not be allowed at the trading areas.The protesters said they had paid N$60 to the Council to remain at their sites, but suddenly the municipality had said they had to leave.They complained about the establishment of a new Namibia Development Corporation office at the Omatala which asked them to pay N$5 at the end of every day and N$20 for those selling secondhand cars.The vendors in their petition asked:”Does Municipality want us to go and steal people’s property in order to make a living?” Responding to their petition, Kashuupulwa said that the decision that nobody should sell items in the street would remain.The street vendors said that they would fight the decision.The street vendors say the laws are unfair as the council had failed to build a new Open Market (Omatala) as promised long ago.According to the by-laws, each street vendor will need an official trading license; not be allowed to trade at an unauthorised place; no fire or stoves will be allowed on streets; no stones will be allowed to be placed on streets; no permanent structures will be allowed at vending areas; and, food which is risky for human consumption will not be allowed at the trading areas.The protesters said they had paid N$60 to the Council to remain at their sites, but suddenly the municipality had said they had to leave.They complained about the establishment of a new Namibia Development Corporation office at the Omatala which asked them to pay N$5 at the end of every day and N$20 for those selling secondhand cars.The vendors in their petition asked:”Does Municipality want us to go and steal people’s property in order to make a living?” Responding to their petition, Kashuupulwa said that the decision that nobody should sell items in the street would remain.The street vendors said that they would fight the decision.