By: Annakleta Haikera
Rundu’s busy streets are increasingly becoming a trading hub for vendors from Angola, with some saying the town has become their main source of income and calling on the Rundu Town Council to provide a designated market where they can trade in an organised manner in Rundu.
The Angolan vendors, who cross into Namibia to sell various products, are frequently seen in busy areas of Rundu, including around Shihako Butchery and behind Pupkewitz Megabuild, while others move around town selling necklaces, perfumes, plastic products and other goods.
Speaking to The Villager Newspaper, some vendors said they have limited options for making a living and that Rundu offers them better opportunities to earn an income.
One vendor, Mariana Kambinda, said they could not simply leave Rundu because their livelihoods depend on the customers they find in the town.
“Rundu is where we are making money. We have no other way to survive. If we leave, where are we going to sell our products?” she said.
Another vendor, Manuel Voceka, appealed to the town council to consider creating a proper market where Angolan traders could operate legally and in an organised manner.
The vendors said a designated trading area would provide them with a secure place to sell their products while also helping reduce congestion and informal trading on pavements, parking areas and around businesses.
Rundu already has designated markets, which include the Rundu Open Market, Kehemu Open Market and Sauyemwa Open Market.
However, some informal traders prefer busy areas in the town centre because of the high number of potential customers.
The issue has become a broader challenge for Rundu, with the council raising concerns about street trading despite designated markets having available space.
The issue of Angolan traders operating in Rundu is not new. In 2023, the council stopped Angolan informal traders from selling in town, prompting concerns from Namibian vendors who relied on buying products from their Angolan counterparts.
At the time, Angolan traders reportedly said there was little market for their products on the Angolan side of the border.
The latest appeal comes as the council continues efforts to regulate informal trading and address concerns over the growing number of foreign vendors operating on Rundu’s streets.
Fransiska Kupembona, Strategic Executive for Community at Rundu Town Council, said the council’s open markets were not operating at full capacity, yet large numbers of street vendors continued to occupy various spaces around the town.
“Street vending is a significant concern for all of us, particularly the town council. There is a substantial influx of street vendors operating on the streets,” Kupembona said.
She said most of the street vendors operating in Rundu were Angolan nationals, but the council could not register them because they did not meet the requirements of its informal trading regulations.
According to Kupembona, traders must provide identification documents when applying for registration, while foreign nationals are also required to have the necessary permits, including work permits.
“The fact of the matter is that the Angolan citizens do not have any form of identification. They are foreign nationals, and foreign nationals are required to have the appropriate permits to trade,” she said.
Kupembona said the council had recently engaged the Angolan Consulate in an effort to find a solution, with discussions also expected to involve the Angolan government and immigration authorities.
She said the council wanted a database of Angolan vendors crossing into Namibia, particularly through the Calai area, to establish how many traders entered Rundu each day.
“If there is a possibility of designating a trading point for them, we will consider it based on the figures and statistics available to us,” Kupembona said.
She added that some Angolan traders were reportedly entering Namibia through undesignated crossing points, including the Sabuyemwa area, rather than through official border posts.
The council has given the Angolan side approximately three months to engage its government and return with possible solutions before another meeting is held.
Kupembona also acknowledged complaints that street vendors leave rubbish behind after trading.
She said council officials had previously engaged vendors directly and encouraged them to clean the spaces they occupied before returning home.
“People respond differently. Some heed our encouragement to help keep the town clean, while others do not,” she said.
Meanwhile, the council is also monitoring Angolan traders who travel from Oshikango to Rundu to sell plastic cups, plates and other goods.
Kupembona said some of these traders reportedly bought goods in Oshikango, travelled to Rundu, sold them until their stock was depleted and then returned, while others had told the council they were renting accommodation in Rundu.
She warned that Angolan nationals who remained in Namibia without the required documentation could present a broader immigration concern beyond street trading.
“We will raise the matter during our future engagements,” Kupembona said.
For the vendors, however, Rundu remains more than just a place to sell goods, it has become a lifeline.
They are now asking the council to find a practical solution that would allow them to earn a living while ensuring that trading in the town remains orderly, legal and clean.
