The president of the South African Informal Traders Alliance (Saita) Rosheda Muller met with the Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams around issues of the development of the informal sector.
The meeting of micro-businesses on February 16, which was attended by Alexandra’s own Lulama Mali, chairperson of both the Johannesburg Informal Traders Platform (JITP) and Gauteng Informal Traders Organisation (Gaito) are Saita affiliates, was to iron out issues around the development of the sector.
According to Muller, who described the mood of the meeting as constructive and encouraging, Ndabeni-Abrahams addressed the concerns of the sector in great detail, and ‘one got the impression that she genuinely wants to help find resolution’.
Among the issues discussed was the thorny issue of red tape reduction, the consequences upon township businesses brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Muller said Saita was encouraged that the minister, notwithstanding her busy schedule, met with representatives of the sector, who themselves appreciated her presence. She did, however, make a strong appeal for partnerships and collaboration between business and government while simultaneously stressing the importance of embracing unity over fractiousness.
For its part, Muller said Saita stands ready and willing to facilitate, organise, and generally assist in any manner, fashion, or form in advancing programmes designed to uplift the informal economy.
