HIV/Aids Africa

Small and micro
enterprises have often been credited in recent times with the potential for
jumpstarting the local economy. One of the ways to promote these micro
enterprises is to provide facilities for local informal markets were small
business people can sell their services and wares. One of the best known of
these facilities is the Omatara Market in Oshakati.At last week?s inauguration
ceremony for Oshakati Premier Electric, Dr Nicky Iyambo, Minister of Regional
and Local Government and Housing, deviated from his written speech to address
the topic of Omatara Market.?Omatara has to move!? said the minister in no
uncertain terms. He said that if anybody had any problems with this reality,
then, ?do not bother anybody else, come and bother me!?The minister highlighted
the fact that town lands are regulated by laws which it is the responsibility of
the local town council to uphold. Dr Iyambo said that the open market in
Oshakati does not fulfil the health and safety requirements set out by law,
pointing out in particular that Omatara has no ablution facilities. He told a
story from his personal experience, which involved a visit to the market, and an
old woman who relieved herself no more than a few meters from him, in order to
illustrate the seriousness of the problem.The minister said that the market must
be moved to a safer place and said that his ministry is busy investigating
solutions to the situation. He also said that the ministry has already called
for the construction of sewerage facilities for the market in the interim.Other
issues raised by the minister in what he called his main speech, the part were
he deviated from the written version, included his ministry?s campaign against
HIV/Aids. The minister also noted the continuing practice in rural areas of
evicting widows from their fields and property by the families of their deceased
husbands. He said that this practice is against the law and must stop. The
minister pointed out that in some cases community leaders were allocating erven
for use by businesses and in residential areas. He said that this is the
responsibility of the relevant local authority. In the Oshakati area, he said,
the law is clear, this is the right of the Oshakati Town Council.Finally the
minister noted that in the time since independence, 13 towns have been
proclaimed. He said that this was a particular achievement, especially
considering that the process for proclaiming a town takes some 3 years. He said
that now is the time for consolidation and formalising existing structured. He
said that what is needed now is integrated development.