The City of Ekurhuleni started issuing permits on Tuesday last week after the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, amended the Covid-19 regulations on April 2 which make provision for grocery stores and wholesale produce markets, including spaza shops and informal traders, to trade during the current lockdown.
In terms of the amended Covid-19 regulations, informal traders can operate on condition that they have written permission from the local authority.
Acting mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni Clr Nkosindiphile Xhakaza urged informal traders to apply and adhere to the rules of the permits.
“Informal traders and spaza shop owners will have to apply for temporary trading permission in terms of the Disaster Management Act No 57 of 2002 and the regulations that were issued on April 2.
“The temporary trading permission will apply for the duration of the declared lockdown, and shall only be issued to the current legal hawking permit holders issued by the City of Ekurhuleni in terms of the Business Act No 71 of 1991.
“Informal traders must also remember and understand that trading cooked food is not allowed,” said Xhakaza.
The City also warned informal traders that no new applications will be accepted.
“There will be no new permit applications, proxies or transfers considered during the period of the lockdown.
“However, spaza shops that do not have trading licences or permission as envisaged in the Business Act shall be granted a temporary reprieve through the issue of trading permission that will apply for the duration of the declared lockdown, on condition that the application is supported by the relevant stakeholders,” said City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Themba Gadebe.
“The City will also issue sanitisers, gloves and masks to traders.
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“The metro is giving out protective gear to traders of processed and unprocessed food products whose applications are granted.
“The sanitisers, gloves and masks are given on a first come, first serve basis.”
Applications for temporary trading permission shall be open from noon to 4pm on Mondays and from 9am to 4pm from Tuesdays to Fridays.
The City of Ekurhuleni has put in place the following procedure that informal traders must adhere to in order to be issued with temporary trading permission:
• Step 1: Applicants can download or collect the temporary trading permission application forms from www.ekurhuleni.gov.za or from their nearest Customer Care Area (CCA).
• Step 2: Applicants must complete the application form fully and attach a certified copy of the current trading permission (where applicable) that was issued by the City of Ekurhuleni and other required documentation.
• Step 3: Applicants must secure a letter of support from a ward councillor or CCA manager where the business operates to confirm their residential and business address, which shall form part of the final evaluation and approval conditions.
• Step 4: Applicants must submit their applications at their nearest CCA manager’s office and a reference number will be issued.
• Step 5: All compliant applications shall be issued with temporary trading permission within 24 hours of submitting their application.
• Step 6: Applicants shall receive a text message to collect the temporary trading permission at their nearest CCA manager’s office.
All successful temporary trading permission holders are required to carry and/or display their original temporary permission at all times.
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