The recent altercation outside Windhoek Central Hospital between City Police officers and a street vendor has once again placed the spotlight on the growing tension between economic survival and the rule of law in our capital. The video circulating on social media shows several officers struggling with a woman, eventually pulling her to the ground, while a female officer is seen yanking the wig off her head. The footage has provoked widespread anger, raising serious questions about police professionalism, the limits of enforcement, and the dignity with which citizens are treated.
Scenes such as these are deeply disturbing. They damage public confidence in law enforcement and reflect poorly on the image of our city. Police officers are trained to maintain order, not to demean or brutalise. Their uniform represents the authority of the state, an authority that must be exercised with restraint, compassion, and respect for human rights. When officers forget this, they do more harm than good, undermining both their own credibility and the law they are meant to uphold.
That said, we must also be honest about the other side of this story. Poverty and unemployment, while painful realities, cannot serve as justification for breaking the law. Struggling to make a living does not entitle anyone to occupy prohibited spaces or erect unauthorised stalls on public property. Lawlessness, no matter the motivation, cannot be tolerated if we wish to maintain a functional, clean, and safe city. Municipal bylaws exist for a reason. They protect public health, ensure order, and help preserve the beauty and accessibility of our urban environment.
When traders set up makeshift stalls and trailers in front of critical public institutions like hospitals, schools, and government buildings, they compromise not only the appearance of the city but also its functionality. Congestion, litter, noise, and obstruction of access points are just some of the negative outcomes. Patients and ambulances need clear pathways, and visitors should not have to navigate through rows of stalls to access essential services. The presence of unregulated vendors in such areas gives an impression of disorder and neglect, a far cry from the modern, well-managed capital we aspire to build.
We must therefore reject the growing attitude that defying the law is acceptable simply because one is “struggling”. Disorder breeds more disorder. When one group is allowed to ignore regulations without consequence, others soon follow, and soon the entire system collapses into chaos. The rule of law is the foundation of social stability; without it, even the most sympathetic causes lose legitimacy.
However, condemnation of unlawful vending should not blind us to the hardship that drives people into informal trade. Namibia’s unemployment rate remains alarmingly high, and for many families, street vending is the only available means of survival. Behind every stall is a story, of a parent trying to feed their children, of a young person shut out of formal employment, of resilience in the face of economic exclusion. For these individuals, the choice to sell on the streets is not about defiance but desperation.
It is precisely for this reason that enforcement must be balanced with compassion. The city police and municipal authorities must remember that behind every violation is a human being, and that excessive force or public humiliation can never be the answer. Law enforcement must be firm but humane. Professional policing requires empathy and understanding, not aggression. Officers should be trained to de-escalate confrontations, communicate clearly, and use force only as an absolute last resort.
Furthermore, the city leadership must confront its own responsibility in this matter. It is not enough to chase vendors from one location to another. If people have nowhere to go, the cycle of eviction and relocation will never end. Instead, the municipality should accelerate the establishment of designated vending zones throughout Windhoek. These should be clean, accessible, and properly regulated spaces where traders can operate legally without interfering with traffic or public institutions.
Such zones would not only protect vendors from harassment but also preserve the order and beauty of our city. They would allow informal traders to contribute productively to the local economy while remaining compliant with the law. The informal sector is a vital part of Namibia’s economy; rather than treating it as a nuisance, we should integrate it thoughtfully into urban planning.
This balanced approach, firm enforcement combined with economic inclusion, is the only sustainable solution. Law without compassion becomes tyranny, while compassion without law leads to anarchy. Our city cannot afford either extreme.
Ultimately, this incident should serve as a wake-up call for all involved. The police must uphold dignity in their conduct. Vendors must respect the law and operate only in permitted spaces. And the municipality must move faster to provide alternatives that make compliance possible.
Windhoek can be both orderly and compassionate. It can be a city where citizens earn a living with dignity and where public order is maintained without cruelty. Achieving this balance requires collective responsibility from policymakers, law enforcers, and ordinary citizens alike.
Let us all commit to a culture of respect: respect for the law, respect for each other, and respect for the image of our city. Law and livelihood need not be enemies; with fairness, empathy and good planning, they can coexist harmoniously.
If we truly love Windhoek, we must protect it, not only from crime and chaos but also from indifference and injustice. The rule of law must prevail, but it must always be guided by humanity.
