A group of small business owners in Windhoek’s Katutura residential area has called on the City of Windhoek (CoW) to construct a market place where they can conduct their business.

They sell cooked bones bought from Meatco and Beefcor, known as Matupa (bones in Otjiherero) and say the popularity of the dish means they attract a lot of customers, but business is hampered by a lack of a proper market.

Currently, the vendors conduct their business in a riverbed in Herero location without access to toilet facilities, water and electricity.

One of the vendors, Othielie Ngaringombe, told Nampa on Thursday they buy and sell bones to support their families.

“We sell here illegally because we are trying to make a living. We do not have toilet facilities or water and electricity. Our customers use the riverbed as a toilet which leads to health issues,” she said.

Another vendor, Clara Hekena, said she has no complaints about the business itself because she is happy with the outcomes, but has been facing the same challenges as others.

“We sell along a riverbed and we face problems here. We know is illegal to be here but we have to do something to sustain ourselves. We are pleading with CoW to build a market for us, this place must be brought up to standard so we can have toilets and taps,” said Hekena.

When asked why they are not making use of existing markets, she said the markets in their area are full, so they opted to sell their wares somewhere else.

Contacted for comment, City of Windhoek spokesperson Harold Akwenye said an assessment has to be carried out before any action is taken.

“CoW is currently busy with a market master plan and has identified a number of sites where traders are operating throughout the city. The objective of the project is to assess the availability and suitability of all identified potential market sites by various internal stakeholders, within the Municipal Council of Windhoek,” said Akwenye.

(NAMPA)

Source: The Namibian Press Agency