25 hawker stalls officially handed over at KaMhlushwa
The Nkomazi Local Municipality mayor, Phindile Magagula, has already handed over a batch in Schoemansdal while another to be handed over soon in Magudu.
Restoring the dignity of hawkers and ensuring their safety is the mission of the Nkomazi Local Municipality (NLM) mayor, Phindile Magagula.
With this in mind, she officially handed over stalls to 25 hawkers at KaMhlushwa on Tuesday July 16. According to Magagula, one batch has already been handed over at Schoemansdal, while another will be handed over in the coming weeks at Magudu.
“These are our parents and they are trying to make a living by building informal stalls. Harsh weather conditions make it difficult for their businesses to thrive, hence we are on a mission to make it easier for them. These stalls will be their shelter when it rains and they will be able to keep their products locked inside instead of carrying them up and down every day. This is our way of making a difference in the various communities,” said Magagula.
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She also encouraged the hawkers to keep their stalls clean and avoid using them as a drug hub.
“We don’t want stalls to be used as a place to sell drugs and we don’t want to see salons next to these stalls. They must be kept clean at all times as a means to attract even more customers. It is also important to note that this is municipal property. No one has the right to sell their stall to anyone. If one of you are no longer able to continue using it, you should make space for another,” Magagula said to the hawkers.
The chairperson of the KaMhlushwa Hawkers, Agnes Sisiko, said the stalls will ensure their safety.
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“We are grateful to the municipality for these stalls. Our dignity has been restored and our business is even more professional now. We will make sure that the place is kept neat at all times and that no illegal activities take place here. We have seen more terrible days under the harsh weather conditions before we were handed these precious stalls, and this will be a motivation to treasure them even more,” said Sisiko.
