Vendor to be charged with slapping City cop

OGONE TLHAGE

WINDHOEK

A case has been opened against a female vendor who allegedly assaulted a City Police official.
When asked to provide clarity on the matter, City Police chief Abraham Kanime said the case stems from an incident on Friday during which the vendor, who was asked not to sell her wares along Independence Avenue in Windhoek’s Ausspannplatz area, tipped over her trolley in protest.
The vendor was asked to vacate the area as she was already allocated a stall near Shoprite, where the City has set up an informal market.
“She slapped the officer and took off her wig. She has been warned before not to sell alongside the road. Because of Covid-19, we do not allow people to sell alongside the street. We have markets with demarcated spaces for Covid-19, to allow for social distancing,” Kanime said.

Case opened
According to Kanime, a case has been opened against the vendor.
Kanime further rejected the notion that the City Police was against informal vendors trading, adding that officials often turn a blind-eye to vendors selling in areas not demarcated for informal trading.
He said City Police officials approach informal traders, assess the conditions in which they are selling, while verifying whether they had sanitisers and face masks.