Otji street vendors vent over relocation
The vendors are threatening to forcibly return to the streets from where they conducted their businesses prior to the lockdown.
Street vendors at Otjiwarongo are threatening to return to selling their wares on the street as they say their businesses have been negatively affected by their relocation to Covid-19 lockdown compliant trading areas designated by the municipality.
The more than 50 street vendors at a meeting last week complained that they are not allowed to trade along Dr Libertine Amathila Street, Rikumbi Kandanga Street and Dr Hage Geingob Avenue since the national lockdown was implemented.
One of the vendors, Joseph Ndishishi, said their group, which in total numbers about 350, wrote a letter to the municipality on 5 March asking it to avail a strategic selling point to them since the town has no public market.
“The municipality failed to attend to our concerns. On 19 May, we wrote to Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua asking him to look into the issue of a public market or to allow us to go back to the streets where we traded before the lockdown,” he said.
The group claims that on 12 May, they “forced” Uerikua to hold a face-to-face meeting with them at his office, but Uerikua allegedly referred them to Otjiwarongo constituency councillor, Marlay Mbakera.
Local authority
Uerikua on Wednesday said he is aware of the vendors' issues which are of a local authority nature.
“You are thus advised to engage the local authority vested with that responsibility,” he said, adding his office can only advise the street vendors also to approach and register their concerns with the relevant authorities.
“The governor has really disappointed us, he failed us,” said other disgruntled street vendors, Jafet Ushona and Petrus Mbumbu.
Ndishishi also called on Otjiwarongo mayor Bennes Haimbondi to step down from his position because of the municipality's alleged failure to set up a public market for the town over the past 10 years that he has been with the municipality.
Haimbondi was contacted on the matter on Wednesday and simply said he was driving.
'Too far'
The public relations officer of the Otjiwarongo municipality, Adelheid Shilongo, said due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its regulations on one-metre social distancing, the street vendors would not qualify to trade in the streets where it would be difficult for the municipality to control people's movement.
“We have allowed them to occupy two places near the Otjiwarongo Fire Brigade which are fenced off where we can also implement the Covid-19 regulations,” she said.
The vendors are however not happy with the two new venues as they said these are too far from their customers and also too small to accommodate all 350 vendors.
They threatened to forcibly return to the streets from where they conducted their businesses earlier next week as they said they have families to look after and bills to pay. - Nampa
The more than 50 street vendors at a meeting last week complained that they are not allowed to trade along Dr Libertine Amathila Street, Rikumbi Kandanga Street and Dr Hage Geingob Avenue since the national lockdown was implemented.
One of the vendors, Joseph Ndishishi, said their group, which in total numbers about 350, wrote a letter to the municipality on 5 March asking it to avail a strategic selling point to them since the town has no public market.
“The municipality failed to attend to our concerns. On 19 May, we wrote to Otjozondjupa governor James Uerikua asking him to look into the issue of a public market or to allow us to go back to the streets where we traded before the lockdown,” he said.
The group claims that on 12 May, they “forced” Uerikua to hold a face-to-face meeting with them at his office, but Uerikua allegedly referred them to Otjiwarongo constituency councillor, Marlay Mbakera.
Local authority
Uerikua on Wednesday said he is aware of the vendors' issues which are of a local authority nature.
“You are thus advised to engage the local authority vested with that responsibility,” he said, adding his office can only advise the street vendors also to approach and register their concerns with the relevant authorities.
“The governor has really disappointed us, he failed us,” said other disgruntled street vendors, Jafet Ushona and Petrus Mbumbu.
Ndishishi also called on Otjiwarongo mayor Bennes Haimbondi to step down from his position because of the municipality's alleged failure to set up a public market for the town over the past 10 years that he has been with the municipality.
Haimbondi was contacted on the matter on Wednesday and simply said he was driving.
'Too far'
The public relations officer of the Otjiwarongo municipality, Adelheid Shilongo, said due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its regulations on one-metre social distancing, the street vendors would not qualify to trade in the streets where it would be difficult for the municipality to control people's movement.
“We have allowed them to occupy two places near the Otjiwarongo Fire Brigade which are fenced off where we can also implement the Covid-19 regulations,” she said.
The vendors are however not happy with the two new venues as they said these are too far from their customers and also too small to accommodate all 350 vendors.
They threatened to forcibly return to the streets from where they conducted their businesses earlier next week as they said they have families to look after and bills to pay. - Nampa
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