The priceof relief

…Oshakati traders say N$3 toilet fee is driving up open defecation

You smell it before you see it.

At Oshakati open market, the smell drifts across charcoal fires where vendors grill kapana and customers queue for lunch.

Across the road, behind a sand embankment, people relieve themselves in the open.

The traders say it’s simple. It costs N$3 to use the toilets which many people don’t have.

“Customers come here to enjoy kapana and traditional brews, but sometimes the first thing they notice is the smell,” says Elizabeth Joseph, who has been selling food and the traditional brew, shafuluka, at the market for years.

For the traders who spend up to 12 hours a day selling food, the smell has become part of the environment. But they say the real problem is not the odour.

When The Namibian visited the market on Friday, men and women were seen walking in small groups towards the embankment before disappearing behind it. Some men urinated openly nearby.