By Wezi Tjaronda ONGWEDIVA Over 400 exhibitors started showing and selling their wares at the Ongwediva Annual Trade Fair which commenced on Friday last week. All 164 exhibitors in the Queens Hall, the biggest of them all, and 49 in the Headman’s Hall turned up to occupy their stands, while three of the 76 in the King Kauluma Hall are yet to show up. The SME tent has 79 exhibitors, while in the open spaces, there are 56 exhibitors. Of the total, 79 are international exhibitors and 12 form part of the Limpopo Province business delegation. Andreas Uutoni, Public Relations Officer for both the Ongwediva Town Council and the Trade Fair, told New Era yesterday that some of the international exhibitors were delayed because of business permit requirements of which they were not aware. He said some of them only learnt at the border that they needed business permits, unlike in the past when they were just given days within which to do business before leaving the country. “The business visa question was well-known by both show officials and exhibitors alike,” said Uutoni. However, there are many exhibitors who are still on the waiting list because they could not be accommodated, the majority of whom are people wanting to exhibit in the SME tent as well as those who want to offer entertainment and food. Uutoni said that this year show officials did not have to run after exhibitors to pay up for their stands. They had all paid before coming to the fair which, he said, had helped to have the Trade Fair prepared in advance.