Oshakati bans peeing in public at Omatala

War veterans challenge crackdown as ‘colonisation’

The message on the prohibition sign is clear: No urinating, defecating. Offenders will be prosecuted.

And the whips are hard to miss.

Security guards hired by the Oshakati Town Council are wielding the whips, making sure the public complies with the regulation against urinating and defecating in public at the open market, also known as Omatala.

Just a week ago, members of the public routinely disappeared behind the sand embankment to relieve themselves in the open.

Now the guards are watching the area closely to catch anyone in the act.

When traders and those visiting Omatala approach the embankment, they are told to turn around and use the public toilets instead for N$2 at a time.

Security guards who spoke to The Namibian yesterday on condition of anonymity said some war veterans are not taking kindly to being told where they can and cannot answer the call of nature.

“People comply now, but we have a problem with some of the war veterans,” a guard said.