Hawkers refuse to move
Hawkers in the R71 road say they won't stop trading despite the 'no hawking' sign.
This comes after a number of local residents complained about the illegal trading activity on the road and a dangerous situations caused by motorists stopping to buy hawkers’ produce.
“The stalls are on the most dangerous turns,” a resident told Herald. Justice Ramonaga said that despite the sign they will continue selling, because that is the only way of putting food on the table.
“The reason I have resorted to selling fresh produce is because I do not want to steal from people. I don’t believe that I should be stopped, because I’m not committing a crime. I’m contributing to the local economy.”
According to him the R71 is the perfect spot for his business, as over the years he has built a good clientele.
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“My customers come from various places including Phalaborwa and even other parts of the country. So when they say we must move, where will people buy from us.
“If they want us to move they must provide us with a suitable place where we can trade,” he added.
The Greater Tzaneen Municipality spokesperson, Neville Ndlala, said that the R71 is not the municipality’s jurisdiction, but Sanral’s.
The municipality deals with the hawkers inside town only. “Law enforcement officers working on that road have to deal with the matter. Currently, inside town, we don’t have any space to accommodate them and we already have a long waiting list of people looking for space,” Ndlala explained.
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Madoda Mthembu, SANRAL Northern Region’s Operations and Maintenance Manager said SANRAL encourages traders to operate from designated areas outside of the road reserve.
“Working together with the local municipality, SANRAL will continue to engage with the municipality and find interim compliance solutions through the municipal bylaws. SANRAL encourages traders to operate from designated areas outside of the road reserve. Working together with the local municipality, SANRAL will continue to engage with the municipality and find interim compliance solutions through the municipal bylaws.”
