Swakopmund — Local fast-food kiosk owners operating along the Swakopmund beach have raised concerns about the municipality’s decision to have them relocated, stating that they were not consulted prior to this directive.
According to a new release by the Namibian Press Agency, during a stakeholders meeting with the Swakopmund Municipality on Thursday, the kiosk owners accused the council of making the decision based solely on complaints from some community members, without consulting the business owners themselves. Jackie Kaela, the owner of Surf and Chicken at Mole Beach, said that the municipality had received complaints about their beachside operations but did not disclose specific details. Kaela mentioned that last year, they received letters from the municipality stating that their leases would not be renewed beyond the end of February 2023, and they would have to move to a new location.
Kaela, who has been operating her business at the Mole since 2019, emphasized that relocating her kiosk would be detrimental to her business. According to her, the new location is far removed from her customer base, which mostly comprises individuals who are not aware of the new area. “I am catering for the average person who cannot afford to buy an expensive meal from the expensive restaurants and hotels surrounding this area but still wants to have a good time with their family and have a good meal,” Kaela stated.
Andre Plaatjies, the Manager of Corporate Services and Human Capital in the municipality, noted that the council had to modify several existing policies, including those regulating informal traders, to now specifically include kiosks. An anonymous kiosk owner told Nampa that the complaints from residents living near the kiosks were primarily about the smell emanating from cooking oil remnants and how it affected their living conditions.