Covid-19 doesn’t brake vendors’ business

Informal fruit and vegetable markets are very popular in Namibia because their prices are slightly lower than those of formal supermarkets.Marjory Chinono sprays some sanitiser on a piece of cloth before wiping the pen her customers use to sign in her log book and passes it to her next customer to write name. And then she sanitised her hands and ready to take the next order.This is the new normal for the informal fruits and vegetables trader if she is to remain in business and comply with the country's coronavirus regulations."I have to make sure I protect myself and my customers so this is necessary. I want people to feel comfortable when they come to buy my products and for them to want to return again," Chinono said.On this day, the mother of three is very busy with a lot of customers with some still in their vehicles taking turns making sure they practice social distancing.For the past 10 years, Chinono has been selling fresh fruits and vegetables on a busy stand at one of Namibia's capital's central markets located in the Eros suburb. The 46-year-old has been buying up fresh produce directly from local growers across the country and selling them to customers at a profit.Informal fruit and vegetable markets are very popular in Namibia because their prices are slightly lower than those of formal supermarkets.Tough half-yearThe first half of this year has been tough on the traders who had to close shop for close to two months while the country was on lockdown to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.Once the lockdown was lifted, the traders were only allowed to operate under strict conditions which meant that they had to comply with certain regulations."It was very tough for us when we were not able to operate because most of us depend on this for an income. This is why it is a must for us to follow the rules or the authorities will shut us down," Chinono said.This is the same for her fellow traders at the same location who also follow the same routine where some even have bucket taps for customers to wash their hands."Business is picking up and we are finally able to cover the losses we made during the lockdown," Chinono said.Although business is picking up, their livelihood is still under threat as Covid-19 cases surge in the country making the traders uneasy and scared that they might end up being shut down as a measure to control further spread of the virus."We are just hoping that the surge in cases will not force the government to shut us down. If they do, then it will really be a disaster. Most of us will not make it," Chinono said.Stiff competitionSurvival for informal traders has been really difficult and most have had to make adjustments to bear the hardships brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.Her stand caters for about three neighbourhoods but there are also other vendors she shares the space with where there is stiff competition.On a good day, Chinono can take home over N$3 000, but she says it’s not all profit some she will use to buy stock."I am not complaining, the market is able to sustain the family as long as we keep operating," she said.Digital platformNamibia under a United Nations Development Programme initiative has partnered with a local online shop to provide informal traders with a digital commercial platform to reach more clients.The platform which was launched in May aims to leverage technology to connect small and informal market vendors to a wider customer base using an online delivery system where fruit and vegetable vendors can sell their goods through an e-commerce platform.According to the founder of the platform Jerobeam Mwedihanga, the initiative targets specifically but not limited to, those that provide essential goods so to limit the movement of people amid Covid-19."Due to the limited movement of people during the lockdown, the flow of customers was limited and we came up with the proposal that digital tools could provide assistance in reaching more customers. As such, we piloted the initiative to ensure that informal traders do not lose more income," Mwedihanga said.Last week, Namibia reinstated stricter lockdown measures because of the surge in cases by migrating back to State of Emergency Stage 3 for 16 days after having moved to Stage 4 on June 29.Under Stage 3, travel in and out of hot-spot areas such as Windhoek and Walvis Bay will be restricted to emergency situations while any persons living these areas will be quarantined upon arrival at their destination.The southwest African nation also imposed a curfew on the restricted towns as well as limit alcohol sales while public gatherings including weddings, funerals and religious events was limited to 10 people. – Nampa/Xinhua

Covid-19 doesn’t brake vendors’ business

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-18

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Covid-19 doesn’t brake vendors’ business

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-18

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