The Omuthiya Town Council has responded to complaints by vendors on their planned relocation to a new market, which they claim is not close to their customers.
Omuthiya Town Council spokesperson, Ottilie Shingenge, in a response to the complaints said there is a water pipe that passes underneath the area where the vendors normally conduct business and the council’s fear is that the pipe could burst and cause damage.
In an interview with Nampa on Tuesday, Shingenge added that the Roads Authority has stated that there must be an open distance in front of any structure and the vendors operate too close to the main road.
“Once the new market is completed we will erect a structure there and make sure there is no business area, so everyone is going to suffer the consequences,” Shingenge said.
She said all northern towns have gone through the process of relocating vendors and people are always resistant to change, but they are trying to prevent problems that may arise in the future.
The head of the committee representing the vendors, Anna Shahonya, expressed her complaints to Nampa on Monday.
“They built a new market for us without consulting us. They just informed us that there is a pipe here,” said Shahonya.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency