Martha Pax is a small business owner in Windhoek who sells plastic bowls and big basins. She moves around different areas, including Havana Four Way and Stop n Shop, to find customers. 

Pax started her business some years ago. Her first business was selling cooked chicken. After that, she opened a small Kapana where she sold salads and some Mongolian cuisine. She started these businesses because she needed money to support her family. 

However, her business faced problems. Pax said officials from the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) took her goods, and she lost money. As a result, she decided to stop selling at one place and began moving around with her goods. That is when she began selling basins and bowls. 

She said she buys her goods from Chinatown and sells them around the city. She buys one item for about N$7 and sells it for N$10, making a profit of N$3. 

She said business is sometimes good and sometimes bad. 

“This is the only business I survive on. If I am not stealing, I am happy to work for my own bread,” she said. 

She said the business is not growing as quickly as she wants because she does not have enough money to improve it. One of her biggest challenges is that she is often blocked from selling, and sometimes her goods are taken away. This has caused her business to go up and down. 

Pax has five children, and all of them depend on this business. She is the only one providing for them. She also said she does not receive any government assistance, including food or monetary support. 

“Despite the challenges, my dream is to start a bigger business one day if I get more income. My wish is to be able to buy food, clothes, and pay school fees for my children,” she said. 

-pmukokobi@nepc.com.n