WINDHOEK: Vendors at the Okahandja woodcarvers craft market are refusing a municipal decision underway to be relocated to an envisioned site along the newly constructed Windhoek-Okahandja carriageway road.
Speaking to Nampa recently, group leader Petrus Ndumba stressed that they have been operating at the site since 1991 which has earned them a wood craft landmark status in the town for tourists, therefore a new site will retard their business.
Ndumba explained the market has a total of 150 registered operators currently in temporary makeshift structures as the land they are operating from is owned by Government, stressing however, the vendors under Namibia Woodcarvers CC have several written letters to the municipality to lease the land or buy it to allow for construction of a proper craft open market.
“They want to take bread straight out of our mouth… We are not going anywhere, whatever comes must come but we are not going anywhere. We have been staying here for 30 years now and the tourists know the market at this site,” Ndumba stated.
He explained they got the open land, Erf 155 to operate from in 1991 through the late former minister, Joel Kaapanda, noting that currently, the 150 vendors operate under his registered company Ndumba CC 1.
Another vendor, Gideon Kaarus who has been selling at the site since 1996 said the municipality’s decision is not ideal for them and their businesses, suggesting that the municipality should rather build proper craft markets at the site with ablution facilities or allow them land rights to build themselves.
In an interview with Nampa, Okahandja Municipality Chief Executive Officer, Alphons Tjitombo said there are discussions underway for the vendors to be relocated due to the changes to which the council are being subjected of which one is the newly constructed dual carriageway and provision of an ablution facility.
“The idea is to take them to a more visible area along the dual carriageway road which is taking up most of the traffic from inner Okahandja. Namibia is a democratic country, when a person says he is not going to move then we are talking about eviction,” he said.
Tjitombo explained that currently there are no activities planned for the area and no services have been extended to the area, therefore the municipality cannot put up ablution facilities or any permanent structures.
A letter dated 15 May 2023 by Tjitombo responding to the request by Namibia Woodcarvers CC to lease or purchase the land indicates that the application was declined as it was established that the area is not suitable for wood carving as it is too close to the Okakango river making it prone to flooding.
It also said the woodcarver market poses security risks to the Military College and a fire risk to the nearby Shell Service Station.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency