Vendors ready for 2019

Vendors across Windhoek are waiting with baited breath for the school week to resume so that they can make some money owing to losses encountered over the festive break.

This was the sentiment on the ground when Namibian Sun visited a few small business people to get a feeling of how things went over the festive season.

For Selma Hangula, the festive season break will be one to forget. Hangula sells fruit and vegetables alongside the very busy Windhoek road, Nelson Mandela Avenue.

Sharing her thoughts, Hangula said it was very slow for business.

“There were no customers, there was not really much going on,” she said.

Despite the almost non-existence of clients, Hangula felt that it was still necessary to keep selling her produce.

“We don't just want to sit at home, it is better to get a little than nothing at all,” she added.

Petrol jockey Efraim Ashikoto echoed Hangula's sentiments.

Ashikoto operates from a service station in Eros and said that it got very quiet over the festive season.

“Business was very slow, there was almost nothing happening. We made very little during the day and at night, only a local security company stopped by to refuel their vehicles,” Ashikoto said.

“Maybe it will pick up next week, I think it is only in Swakopmund where money was made,” he added.

Barnard Kangueehi, who manages a car wash business in Eros said that business had been relatively good. This he attributed to the fact that more people chose to celebrate their holiday in Windhoek than in other places.

“Business was good over the festive season. It was maybe just over Christmas Day and Family Day when it was slow but generally business was good,” Kangueehi said. What also helped was that people returned earlier, possibly due to the current economic climate.

“We expect business to pick up even more as people return from their holiday destinations… with dirty cars,” said Kangueehi.

OGONE TLHAGE