Ondangwa roadside vendors decry limited spaces…deadly accident leaves one dead, six injured

Victoria Immanuel

Ondangwa – An investigation into Tuesday afternoon’s fatal accident in Ondangwa has found that a silver VW sedan allegedly made an unsafe lane change before colliding with an Iveco bus.

This caused the bus driver to lose control and crash into roadside vendors.

The accident happened at about 16h30 on the main road between Onethindi and Ondangwa, opposite Standard Bank’s main branch in Oluno. According to the police, the VW Polo Vivo was travelling eastwards in the outer lane when its driver allegedly attempted to move into the left lane unsafely.

It was then struck by the Iveco bus, which was travelling in the same direction.

The impact caused the Iveco driver to lose control, preliminary details show.

The bus left the road and collided with a white Toyota GD-6 before hitting a pedestrian and four street vendors who were seated beside the road selling their products.

The pedestrian, identified as Ananias Kandali Mvula (44) from Okatale village in the Uukwiyu Uushona district of the Oshana region, died at the scene. Six people were injured in the crash. Rosalia Simon, Elizabeth Namtanga, Linda Nteka, Johanna Mumbandje and Hanna Amwele sustained moderate injuries, while Cecilia Kandenge sustained serious head injuries.

Police said the Iveco driver was arrested and detained on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

A breathalyser test reportedly recorded 0.69 mg/l, which is above the legal limit.

The accident has again raised concerns about the safety of street vendors who operate along busy roads in Ondangwa.

One of the vendors, Padelia Stefanus, said vendors continue to trade along the roadside because there is not enough space at the Ondangwa open market, commonly known as omatala, to accommodate them.

Stefanus said vendors also move closer to busy businesses to attract more customers.

She explained that some vendors sell tomatoes and other products along the roadside because more customers shop at the bigger stores, forcing small traders to look for alternative locations where they can reach potential buyers.

The vendors acknowledged that selling close to the road is dangerous but limited trading space and the need to make a living continue to push them to the roadside.

“The allegations that the council does not have sufficient trading spaces to accommodate vendors are untrue,” Ondangwa Town Council spokesperson Petrina Shitalangaho-Mutikisha said.

She said the council currently has three open markets and an extension, with several spaces still available.

She added that the Ondjondjo Open Market has 300 trading spaces and is fully occupied, while the ABC Open Market has 123 spaces, of which only 40 are occupied, leaving about 83 spaces available.

“The ABC Open Market Extension has more than 100 spaces available, while the New Open Market has 54 spaces, with only 20 occupied, leaving 34 spaces available,” she added.

She urged vendors looking for trading spaces to approach the council for information on available spaces and the procedures for allocation.

“Street traders have previously been cautioned about the dangers of trading next to busy roads. Private security personnel were also deployed to discourage roadside trading, but some vendors resisted the move and described it as harassment,” Shitalangaho-Mutikisha stated.

–vkaapanda@nepc.com.na

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