KATIMA MULILO – Street vendors in Katima Mulilo recently held a peaceful demonstration where they petitioned the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration and Katima Mulilo Town Council to act on foreign vendors.
The vendors under the umbrella of the Native Small Traders Association (Nasta) stated in their petition that they have been “largely disturbed by the influx of foreigners engaging themselves in informal trade” in Katima Mulilo.
They say the increase of foreign vendors mainly from Zambia and Botswana has shrunk their profit margins and robs them of vending space.
“Foreign vendors must be removed as they take bread from the hands of locals and contribute nothing to our economy.
Vending space in Namibia must be occupied by Namibians as informal businesses inspire lives and require no academic qualification,” read the petition.
They further alleged that vendors from Zambia and Zimbabwe reportedly sell illegal and fake items at exorbitant prices, while they do not even have work permits.
“We need an eviction order to remove foreigners who vend without permits from the Ministry of Trade, Industrialisation and SME Development,” they charged.
The also complained that some local retailers in the region are victimising them by removing them from their corridors. They appealed for these retailers to allow vendors to operate from their corridors “or else go back from where they came from”.