
Breweries aid traders association

Wessie van der Westhuizen (Managing Director of Namibia Breweries Limited) and Andreas Nuule (President of Namibia Retailing Traders Association (NRTA) signing the Memorandum of Understanding agreement while James Maswahu (NBL); Jessica Gabriel (NBL); Onesmus Iiyambo (NRTA); Simon Iipinge (NRTA); Michael Ndivaele (NRTA); and Gideon Shilongo (Ohlthaver & List Group of Companies) look on.
“We believe that all citizens have a legal right to express their feelings when their rights are violated and support the thinking of a potential solution that lies in a collective, coherent and integrated approach by drinkers and non-drinkers alike consisting of community stakeholders such as families; church groups; educators; anti-alcohol lobby groups; liquor manufacturers; liquor traders; government and law enforcement agencies, to mention a few,” he added. He advised that the majority of their members comply with the rules but added that most of them were not liquor license holders due to unresolved fitness certificates from local authorities. On the road to regulating the industry he added: “The greatest challenge is to ensure everyone joins and becomes a paid-up member of the Association. Another challenge is the limitation we face when it comes to the issuing of the fitness certificates from the side of the municipalities.” On next steps he said that they aim to recruit shebeen owners in all regions of the country in order to represent the majority of small business owners in the whole country.