By Marx Itamalo |
Vendors doing business in the streets of Helao Nafidi town are up in arms against the town council for using a private company to confiscate their goods.
The vendors are also accusing the management of the council of double standards for allowing a relative of the officials in the town council to sell kapana inside the council premises.
One of the affected vendors, Veronica Alfredo, said on 12 December last year, security guards from Waakali security services, a company contracted by the council found her and other vendors selling cooked maize in downtown Oshikango next to Rani mini market. She said the guards asked them what they were doing.
“They accused us of selling in town without permits. The fact is that not each person selling in Helao Nafidi has a selling permit,” she said.
“There are people selling sausage, the Angolans selling fruits and many other people selling clothes etc., but they don’t have permits.
“But the guards confiscated my maize bucket and those of fellow vendors.”
According to her, when her and fellow vendors went to the offices of Helao Nafidi, they were shocked to find that their maize were not there.
“The officials told us that the guards did not bring any items to the office that day. We suspect the guards took the items for personal benefit.
“Where did they put them? Of course they took them to their houses. We know that. This has been happening for a long time but the council does not take action.”
The vendors also question why a certain individual is allowed to sell kapana inside the council premises.
“Why is she allowed to sell kapana at the entrance of council offices inside? Is not that double standards? We are well informed she is a relative of one of the officials in the town council,” one vendor said.
The vendors want the town council to allow them to conduct business freely within the boundaries of the town and without harassment.
They claim they also own plots and houses in the town and that they pay taxes.
“Helao Nafidi should think of the people. We elected them and we pay taxes. If we don’t do business where do they think we will get money to pay our obligations,” one vendor asked.
Darius Shaalukeni, the town’s mayor stressed that the town council has received floods of similar complaints in the past. He said, however, it appears vendors and the general public don’t know how the council works.
“We have the open market that was built for the people to conduct business there. Why don’t they want to go there?” Shaalukeni retorted.
“We don’t want to have anarchy in our town. There others who are already conducting business there. They are also people. If all vendors can go to omatala, then every prospective customer will go buy at omatala.
“The guards would continue with their duties as expected.”
Regarding the missing items, he said items confiscated are not taken to the council offices, but are burnt at the town’s garbage dump.
“We don’t keep items. They are burned to discourage them selling in the streets again.”
Omutumwa could not obtain comment from the mentioned security company by the time this story was published.
In the photo: Helao Nafidi Town Council mayor Darius Shaalukeni and his fellow councillors.
