“Tea-Making Ladies”… the Need to Regulate This Risky Profession

By Brig. Gen. (Ret.) – Dr. Najmuddin Abdul Rahim

Rumours have circulated that the person who corrected the location to document the Sabreen market incident was a “tea-making lady.” This incident resulted in the loss of more than 60 innocent lives and a large number of injuries.
A media survey conducted along Nile Street in 2017 revealed that many tea-making ladies promote various types of drugs to young people, leading to widespread addiction among them.
Observations in Khartoum and states controlled by the army indicate that there are numerous suspicious gatherings around tea-making ladies. Additionally, tea-making ladies serve as the preferred gathering spots for militia members in areas where the militia is active.
Consequently, their presence in strategic locations makes them a primary source of information for the militia. They also serve as excellent meeting points for militia members, crucial hubs for information exchange, strategic recruitment sites for young people in the area, and strategic observation points.
Therefore, tea-making ladies can pose a significant threat to citizen safety and national security, whether intentionally or unintentionally. In the abnormal circumstances our country is experiencing, their harm may outweigh their benefits, which are limited to personal gains for themselves and their families compared to the aforementioned security risks. It is well-known that preventing harm takes precedence over seeking benefits.
Thus, it is essential to prevent the random presence of tea-making ladies on streets, intersections, markets, and strategic locations. Their profession should be regulated through known and specific permits allowing monitoring and oversight, similar to any other commercial activity with a fixed location and business registration.
In most countries, prioritising human health and safety, random tea-selling on the streets by women or men does not exist. Instead, these activities are conducted in known shops with business registrations subject to labour laws.
The relevant state administrative and security agencies must end this randomness in the interest of public welfare. This catastrophic mistake must not continue. We are not calling for a ban on women selling tea but rather for its regulation as a commercial activity that adheres to the standards of business operations.