Rundu kids forced to sell eggs till midnight

Minor children in Rundu, some as young as nine, are forced to loiter and sell goods such as boiled eggs around the town until midnight.

School-going children carrying trays of boiled eggs and scrambling for customers is a common sight in the riverside town – at times when they should be attending classes, doing their homework or getting some rest.

Over the years, Rundu has become a dangerous place to walk around, especially at night, but the child hawkers continue stroll the streets - despite the risk of physical harm and getting robbed of their hard-earned money.

So delicate is the situation that these youngsters sometimes enter alcohol establishments, where only people above the age of 18 are permitted by law, to access potential customers for their eggs - sold for N$5 each.

One child told Namibian Sun: “If I go back home without having sold everything, I will be beaten”.

On the dangers of Rundu’s streets, another said: “I have a good memory; if you dare to touch me, I will find you because I walk the streets of Rundu on a daily basis”.

Worrying

Rundu resident Wilson Kandji described the situation as worrying.

He said the children target bus-loading zones and other places where there is good movement of people.

“On two different occasions, people have asked me to come pick them up at those Oasis and Silas Ndapuka buses, and then I noticed these young kids, especially girls.”

“So, I really don’t know until what time those kids stand there. Imagine those buses arrive around 21:00 and sometimes later, and you will still find those kids there,” he said.

“It is really a concern for their safety because it would be easy to lure them away and harm them.”

Some argue that the youngsters hawking their wares on the streets are not Namibian citizens, but from neighbouring Angola.

“Those children are Angolans and they came to Namibia with their parents to make a living,” an adult source said.

Neglected children

With crime being rife in Rundu over the past several months, Kavango East Region crime coordinator, deputy commissioner Bonifatius Kanyetu, said the police have launched an awareness campaign to inform members of the community that child labour is against the laws of the country.

Making reference to a case where one of the minors, aged just 12, was attacked and robbed of a phone and the money they worked for, Kanyetu said such incidents are avoidable if parents don’t neglect their children.

He warned that parents who allow or force their children to hawk wares will be charged and prosecuted, and should therefore desist from such practices.

“Parental care is becoming a concern in Rundu. The children are vulnerable and parents don’t care. These children are also sent to the nightclubs and the parents do not even care,” he lamented.

“In this issue, the parent is to be charged under the Child Protection Act.

“If this is allowed, it will weaken the provisions of the Labour Act that prohibits child labour. If we allow that, what will stop the next person from doing it?" he wanted to know.

“Child labour under the Namibian law is not allowed, even if they volunteered. We condemn this.”

Could face jail time

Labour ministry spokesperson Maria Hedimbi told Namibian Sun that child labour is prohibited by law. She said ministry officials do inspections and several reports have been submitted to the prosecutor-general for a decision on whether to prosecute the responsible parents and guardians.

“Once a decision is made, the suspects will be charged and court proceedings will commence. If found guilty, the suspects could face jail time,” she said.

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