The Rundu Open Market was the first of the three permanent Open Markets to be built between 1996-1998.

The Honorable Minister of Regional and Local Government and Housing (MRLGH) Dr. Libertina Amathila with Lux-Development and the Rundu Town Council as the executing agencies, officially opened the first Rundu Open Market on the 3rd of August 1996. The final extension works to accommodate the increasing demand were accomplished in 1998 on the same Erf.. In 2000 a project coordinator was assigned to increase the participation through capacity building and promotion campaigns. The Markets comparative advantages towards street selling were strengthened, the management improved and the venue promoted for trade and cultural. As the Market constituted a social innovation and required to be maintained through the market fees, the challenges were many.

Due to the increase in the living costs, and lack of employment in the formal sector, more people resorted doing their own business. Eventually there came a need to increase the number of Markets to accommodate the vendors in the Kehemu and Sauyemwa informal settlement, and bring the markets even closer to the community settelments.

End of 1999, the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, through it's executing agency Lux–Development S.A. financed two more markets in these areas to accommodate those non – formal traders.

The Kehemu Open Market built in 2000, became operational in August 2000 with more than 250 traders.

Both the Kehemu & Sauyemwa Open Market were officially opened in July 2001 by the Minister of Regional, Local Government and Housing Dr. N.Iyambo.

The Kehemu Open Market located in the Kehemu high-density residential area in Rundu was called “Tandaveka” a local word to describe a sitting position of a relaxed person, whose legs are stretched out and crossed at the ankles. It describes the comfort of the market. Once you are there you will not want to leave quickly !

The market serves the Kehemu and Safari residential areas mostly and at times a few customers from other surrounding areas. In 2001, referring to the operational costs, the market reached break-even and is cost recovering.

The Sauyemwa Market, built at the same time as the Kehemu market, became operative in June-2001. It basically serves the Sauyemwa residential town ship.

The total number of vendors selling at all three Markets varies from 850-900 vendors. Which means, that at the end of the project more than 90% of the informal hawkers of the Rundu Town had accepted the new structures and paid the basic monthly stand fees to allow the municipality to cover the operational cost and staff (cleaners, security guards, market operators) salaries.

Due to their respective position in town and the difference in infrastructure, the main Rundu Open Market was assigned to become more of a multipurpose Market, serving as a trading place during the week and as a social venue for the weekends and evenings, while the two new community markets followed their vocation to serve the” community from 6.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m., as it was the tradition before.

All Markets are providing a great potential of resourcefulness, creativity, self-employment, as well as a platform for promoting social events and cultural interchange. The organization of a physical Market was a difficult task due to the social interrelation of people of different cultural interest groups and the lack of a Market history before 96.

In addition to the setting up of infrastructure and the marketing of the venue, the Nam/330 Rundu Open Markets  Lux-Development project, provided training  in fields as diverse as horticulture (gardening), marketing for the producers and traders , hairdresser training, key making, service milling and book keeping for individual Market traders, as well as workshops in community leadership for the market committees.