Parliament's economy committee has urged the City of Windhoek to prioritise customer-friendly designs for new vendor markets. Committee Chairperson Iipumbu Shiimi emphasised that upcoming Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) facilities must be accessible, fully inclusive, and optimised to drive consumer traffic.

Members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration, together with the committee responsible for Urban and Rural Development and Land Reform, engaged City of Windhoek officials on challenges affecting informal traders and small and medium enterprises.

This call follows visits to several informal trading sites, where lawmakers acknowledged progress made by the municipality but raised concerns over congestion and inadequate infrastructure, particularly around the Havana four-way stop.

The congestion is also affecting the movement of vehicles through the area, with motorists reportedly experiencing delays.

"When you construct such a facility, it must be inclusive in the sense that you have enough space for traders. Of course, what we have also seen is that sometimes when we construct these kinds of facilities, we don't ensure that we attract customers to the facilities. But things like taxi rings, having some smaller workshops to repair, telephones and cars – those things attract customers," said Shiimi. 

City of Windhoek Chief Executive Officer Moses Matyayi, in response to parliamentary committees assessing progress made since an oversight visit in November 2025, says the City of Windhoek's population has continued to grow significantly.

In his presentation, Matyayi says, according to figures, |Khomas Region had a population of about 494,000 in 2023, with approximately 486,000 people living in Windhoek. Based on the city's population growth projections and estimates, Windhoek's population has now reached about 540,000.

It also highlights that the city's growth has implications for urban planning, service delivery, economic development, revenue mobilisation and the provision of infrastructure for businesses and informal traders.

Matyayi says much of the municipality's remaining infrastructure includes sewer networks, water pipelines and storm-water systems that require continued maintenance.

"We have a capital base, or an asset base, of about N$30 billion that we manage, of which N$15 billion are probably assets that can be sweated, which you can trade on. The other N$15 billion are assets that you can't do anything with. You have it, you invest the money into it - things such as roads. You can't offer a road to a bank for a dollar. It's an asset you've invested money into."

He says balancing the city's responsibilities with growing demand for trading spaces remains central to its economic development planning.