Informal traders hold Tshwane metro employees hostage

A hostage situation is taking place at the Saambou building in the city centre, Pretoria East Rekord reports.

Informal traders apparently stormed the building at about 9am, and are holding the economic development department (EDD) employees hostage due to what they say are unfulfilled promises.

According to the traders, who are members of the Tshwane Barekisi forum, a R3-million budget was pre-approved by council in 2015. The money was meant to assist the traders in procuring trucks and equipment, but the traders said they had not seen a cent of it.

The traders also said a bursary fund created by the previous administration to help traders’ children get a tertiary education had been misused. As a result, their children were now unable to study further, they said.

Traders speaking with a cop Photo: Ron Sibiya.

READ MORE: Vaalgate shopping centre evacuated during hostage situation

Informal traders

“We have been asking the EDD director for answers as to where the [budget and bursary] money is, as we have not seen anything happen, and we received no response. Enough is enough,” said forum deputy general secretary Mary Ngema.

“We are not fighting, we just want justice, and we will not leave until we get answers. We can run this budget ourselves.”

Metro police said the situation at the city centre was calm and they would be monitoring the area.

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– Caxton News Service

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