DA claims ANC is committing fraud by illegally authorising trading permits

The Democratic Alliance (DA) claimed that the African National Congress’s (ANC) Tshwane councillors have been issuing illegal trading permits to spaza shop owners and street traders.

DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Randall Williams said the party called on City of Tshwane Administrator, Mpho Nawa to urgently take action against the councillors regarding the matter.

“Last week, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma announced that licensed spaza shops are now allowed to sell essential goods during the lockdown period if they have a valid permit from their municipality,” Williams said in a statement on Wednesday.

Williams said the councillors did not have the authority to issue permits according to the City of Tshwane’s Street Traders bylaws.

“Only municipal officials can issue the permits and help the spaza shop owners,” he said.

The mayoral candidate, however, said the DA had been reliably informed that ANC ward councillors in Tshwane have issued illegal permits to the spaza shop owners.

“This is in direct contravention of the bylaw and immediate action should be taken against these councillors.

“It is clear that the ANC has no intention to follow the rule of law yet again, and will even go as far as misleading the informal traders instead of assisting them to follow the correct procedures,” he said.

Williams said the ANC-led Gauteng provincial government had unlawfully dissolved the Tshwane City Council although its own councillors were undermining this decision.

“While DA councillors are awaiting a court judgment on the matter, their ANC counterparts are committing fraud by illegally authorising permits,” said the mayoral candidate.

Williams said action should be taken against ANC as the matter was a serious health and safety risk if informal traders were not assisted and regulated in terms of the bylaw and the Covid-19 regulations.

He said the DA would continue to assist community members by directing them to the correct offices for legitimate assistance.

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