Shoprite vendors welcome N$4.7m market

Informal traders operating opposite Shoprite in the city centre say the market the City of Windhoek is building for them is long overdue. Some of them still want clarity on who will get a stall.

The N$4.7 million market is one of four informal trading projects the CoW presented to Parliament’s standing committees last week. It will accommodate 46 traders. Debmarine Namibia is contributing N$3.2 million. The site has been handed to the contractor, and completion is expected by December 2026.

For Ester Andreas, who has sold at the spot for more than a decade, the project means a permanent place to trade from.

“We have long waited for such a development. The City informed us about the development and even showed us the plan of how the market will look. I think this will preserve our business and make our dealings easier,” she said.

Andreas said, however, that she does not know what to expect from the authorities once the market is built. Traders have been told that those with paperwork will be given priority.

“We were told that the people with paperwork will be prioritised before everyone trades at the place. We have had our paperwork for some time, but I am worried maybe the stalls will not be properly distributed,” she said.

Martha Mukuve, who sells onions, potatoes and other vegetables at the same site, also welcomed the announcement. She hopes the City will deliver on its timeline.

“We were informed, and I hope they accelerate the construction before the year ends as they said. This will give us peace and dignity, unlike how the authorities are always chasing after us like animals,” she said.

Part of a wider plan

The Shoprite market is one of four projects City CEO Moses Matyayi outlined to the committees on Economy and Industry, Public Administration and Planning, and on Urban, Rural Development and Land Reform.

A Central Hospital market and taxi rank, costing N$8.8 million, will give 50 traders a place to work. Construction is expected to begin after the site handover this month.

In addition, the market for traders at Truckport is estimated at N$15 million. Designs have been completed, and access road designs are underway.

A market for about 350 traders at Havana 4-Way, which has stalled because about 53 households have yet to be relocated.

City CEO Moses Matyayi said rapid rural-to-urban migration keeps straining the City’s capacity to deliver services. He called for central government support and a sustainable funding model for local authorities.

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Caption: Shoprite jpg – Worried and happy… Informal traders opposite Shoprite in Windhoek welcome the long-awaited N$4.7 million market, but remain concerned about stall allocation and whether the City of Windhoek will deliver on its December 2026 completion target.

Photo: Heather Erdmann/File

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