Women upset over shutdown of popular clothing spot
BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Anger broke out among women operating their clothing businesses at the old G-Province headquarters at Point Cruz after the Honiara City Council (HCC) shut down the venue on Tuesday this week.
Following the closure, women vendors organized a protest on-site, voicing their frustration over the council’s decision to shut down the popular business spot.
However, HCC maintained its stance, explaining that the market was operating illegally without any authorization from the council to conduct business in the area.
Women who spoke to Island Sun at the scene said that the HCC law enforcement team arrived early in the morning, forced them to close the venue, and allegedly damaged several stalls.
In an interview, manager and caretaker of the area, Dinah Te’angoha Ramoga, who was assigned by the landlord to look after the site, said HCC had no right to close the venue.
“I am the manager of this place. The landlord assigned me to oversee the women doing business here. The landlord allowed them to use this area after they approached him to operate their clothing business,” Ramoga explained.
She added that on October 27, HCC issued a letter ordering them to close by Monday, November 4.
“We did not comply because it was not a High Court order but only from HCC. The landlord told us to continue marketing since HCC has no authority to evict us from this land. But today, they came, damaged everything, pulled down tents, even chopped down trees, and ordered us to leave,” she said.
Ramoga claims that the current landlord had previously won a court case over the land and continued to allow the women to operate there to help support their families and children.
“If HCC wants to close the site, they should provide an alternative venue for these women so they can continue to earn an income, feed their families, and pay school fees,” she said.
When contacted, HCC Clerk Justus Denni confirmed that the clothing market was operating without legal authorization.
“The HCC closed down the market because it was operating illegally. The owner did not have permission from HCC to run a business in that area. Although the owner collected fees from the vendors, there was no permit from the council,” Denni stated.
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