Walvis Bay vendors face eviction from CBD
Informal traders operating in the Walvis Bay central business district (CBD) face imminent removal after the municipality issued a directive ordering them to vacate their trading spots by yesterday. The traders, many of whom say they paid municioal fees just last year to operate from their current locations, claim they have been left in the […] The post Walvis Bay vendors face eviction from CBD appeared first on The Namibian.
Black News 
Informal traders operating in the Walvis Bay central business district (CBD) face imminent removal after the municipality issued a directive ordering them to vacate their trading spots by yesterday.
The traders, many of whom say they paid municioal fees just last year to operate from their current locations, claim they have been left in the dark about where they should operate from.
Lukas Lukas says he has been trading in the town centre between Bank Windhoek and Woerman Brock, at the intersection of Hage Geingob Road and Gertrude Rikumba Kandanga Hilukilwa Road, for more than six years.
“We are confused because last year the municipality made us pay for these places where we are selling.
Now they are telling us to move. This is how we survive. If we are removed from here, where must we go?” he asks.
Lukas, who relies on passing traffic for his daily income, is not alone in his uncertainty.
Philemon Kambanga says he has been trading at the intersection of Hage Geingob Road and 12th Street since 2023.
He says the relocation order has created uncertainty for many traders in the area.
“We paid for these trading spaces last year. Now we are being told to leave.
If there are no designated areas in the CBD, where are we supposed to go to sell? The municipality must first show us where to go before removing us,” he says.
The Municipality of Walvis Bay issued a public notice instructing all informal traders operating within the local authority area to stop trading in unauthorised spaces and move to municipally designated trading areas by yesterday.
It warned that a joint cleanup operation with law enforcement will begin tomorrow to remove traders who do not comply.
“The Municipality of Walvis Bay hereby informs all informal traders currently operating within the Local Area of Walvis Bay Municipality to cease and desist this practice,” states the notice.
It says informal trading is only allowed if a person is registered and has been issued with a permit under Regulation 2(1) of the Walvis Bay Informal Trading Regulations.
It calls on traders to move into designated trading areas. The municipality’s notice, however, acknowledges that no designated informal trading areas currently exist in the CBD.
In the notice, the municipality says the regulation is intended to ensure informal trading is conducted in an orderly manner and only by registered traders with valid permits.
It says traders who fail to comply with the directive will face action when the cleanup operation begins tomorrow.
“Failing to comply with this notice, the Municipal Council and law enforcement will embark on a joint cleanup operation to clear unauthorised trading areas and ensure compliance scheduled to start from the 19 June,” reads the notice.
The enforcement action is expected to affect traders operating in different parts of the town, particularly in high-traffic areas of the CBD where many informal businesses are concentrated.
Traders say they are now waiting for clarity from the municipality on where they will be allowed to operate once the deadline passes.
The post Walvis Bay vendors face eviction from CBD appeared first on The Namibian.
