According to the traders, Ekurhuleni employees arrived in a truck along with members of the EMPD and allegedly set fire to their stock while seizing some of it.
“The metro employees came on Wednesday, July 23, without informing us (the traders) and destroyed our livelihoods. They set weighty goods on fire and seized the light items,” says one of the shattered traders, Gilbert Bambo.
Bambo has lost everything that belonged to him. “I am now facing difficult times. I do not even have money to pay my rent.”
The metro stands accused of burning down and seizing goods comprising benches, door kennels, blankets, drawers, wood panels, fruits and others items.
“I don’t think this is in compliance to the law. They should have just asked us to remove our belongings from the site,” says Wellington Dube.
“Why burn our stock? At least they should have warned us instead of burning our things. Or they should have just confiscated the items so that we could be able to reclaim after payment of the requisite fine.
“Clearly the government is denying us the opportunity to put food on our tables. We are not committing any crime here, we are just trying to make a living using our hands.”
Dube says that some of the hawkers are the only breadwinners.
“I’ve been working here since 2003. Now they say I must not sell here, where must we go? This is the only way I can feed my family and I can’t find a job. We would like to know who gave the instruction to destroy out stock.”
The traders claim that in the past the metro asked them to move a few metres away from the road so that pedestrians could easily walk, with which they complied.
They also add that for years, they have been trying to obtain legal permits to trade in the area, but their efforts were to no avail.
According to Wilfred Kgasago, EMPD spokesperson, the matter will be investigated. “As soon as we are done with our investigation, the outcome will be communicated.” – @FanieBoksburg
