Street traders and Blackburn Road resident at loggerheads
Resident says informal traders are littering and devaluing his property.
AN ongoing clash of heads between two informal traders on Blackburn Road and a local resident shows no signs of abating. The resident, who does not want to be named, said despite a number of complaints over the years there has been no resolution forthcoming.
The traders, who the resident says are illegally trading, also use the pavement as a latrine. The Durban North resident said an abandoned house behind the traders, which is home to more than 20 people, is also being used to conduct illegal business.
“Every day these rickety shacks are put up, and with the rates I pay this sort of rubbish cannot go on. Not only is it devaluing my property. People next to me in the complex, have tried to sell their house but have struggled to because of the informal traders right on their doorstep. There is a shoe repair shop as well as an auto repair shop operating from the house. The noise and the fact that they are conducting business illegally is hugely frustrating,” he said.
“I think I’m going to start a business on the pavement outside my property and see if the municipality will act. If an informal trader showed up on Kensington Drive he wouldn’t last an hour before he was removed, so why is this being allowed on Blackburn Road?”
He added enforcement from the municipality, in terms of checking business licences, was ineffectual.
Wayne Nettmann, chairman of the Mvoti Neighbourhood Watch, added that the rubbish left on the pavement on a daily basis was also cause for concern.
“Whatever the shoppers buy from the traders they normally discard on the pavement or on somebody’s front lawn. The traders also leave empty boxes on the pavement, which is not on,” he explained.
“With regards to the abandoned house behind the second-hand shop, it’s not healthy to have more than 20 people living in a small area.”
Nettman said he would be approaching council to find out about the legality of the informal traders conducting business on the road.
However, according to uMhlanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, there are three traders on Blackburn Road, only one of whom has a licence.
“This has been a ongoing problem, and several calls to the Metro Police go unanswered. The simple fact is you cannot trade without a licence, and there is currently a moratorium on informal trading licences. To my knowledge the two traders don’t have licences. I will be contacting Metro Police and the municipality to find a solution going forward,” De Boer said.
