Rundu’s booming street trade poses health risk – Mutorwa

Former deputy prime minister John Mutorwa has warned that Rundu's informal street-side markets pose a public health risk, saying food is being prepared and sold in areas without adequate access to water and sanitation facilities.

Some traders cook and sell food on the streets, yet there are no visible water points for washing hands or utensils and no public toilets in some of the areas where trading takes place.

“Suppose a disease breaks out – it will be chaos,” the former minister warned during an interview with Namibian Sun on Monday.

“Some of the food is being cooked on the street, but you don't see any kind of water tap to wash the hands and to wash the utensils that are used. You don't see any public toilet there.”

He said the solution should include the establishment of more properly serviced markets and trading spaces, stressing: "There are not two ways about it.”

Mutorwa's comments come after he responded to an article published by Namibian Sun last month, in which Rundu mayor Andreas Jikerwa said illegal traders prefer busy streets over designated markets, leaving more than 300 official stalls vacant at Rundu's three open markets.

Mutorwa, however, disputed that sufficient market facilities exist, arguing that previous town councils failed to construct additional markets and that the current three – Rundu Open Market, Tandaveka Open Market and Sauyemwa Open Market – are already extremely overcrowded.

He said his concerns are not a personal slight.

“I did not criticise the mayor, but I think he does not understand the depth of that problem,” Mutorwa said.

He said Rundu's rapid urbanisation and population growth have placed increasing pressure on markets, public spaces, security and other services.

Referring to the Namibia Statistics Agency's 2024 census results, Mutorwa said Kavango East has a population of 218 421 people, while Rundu Urban alone accounts for 118 632 people.

Rundu's population exceeds the combined population of Kavango East's remaining five constituencies.

“This is frightening. Clearly, the rate of urbanisation in major towns of our country has become a serious developmental challenge,” he said.

People have to earn

Rundu's challenges cannot be addressed through enforcement alone, he argued, as population growth has outpaced the expansion of markets and other public infrastructure needed to accommodate residents and informal economic activity safely and sustainably.

However, he stressed that the situation should not be used to justify indiscriminate action against informal traders.

“People have to make a living, but this is a country ruled by laws,” Mutorwa said.

He argued that the problem has not been addressed by successive councils.

“It looks as if, not necessarily the current council, but even the previous town councils, they got cold feet to regulate these activities of where people sell,” he said.

The former minister also raised safety concerns and stressed that while informal traders should not be blamed for making a living, authorities have to ensure they operate in safe and regulated environments.

“People have to make a living,” he said, “but we should not relax on laws because when things fall apart, it becomes very difficult.”

Govt must act

While acknowledging that urbanisation is a natural process, he said government policy should place greater emphasis on rural development.

“Urbanisation is a natural process. It will always be there, but I think in terms of government policy, we have to concentrate more on rural development,” he said.

Mutorwa said Rundu had become a major service centre for people from surrounding constituencies because many rural areas lack basic commercial and other services.

“In between Rundu and Divundu, there is nothing – no services, whether it is a petrol station [or] some shops. So every day, people have to come to Rundu to queue up there for services,” he said.