Joburg’s hawkers and the city continue to clash
JOBURG – Informal traders and city council officials remain at loggerheads despite weeks of consultations held by the City of Joburg to improve the sector.
The South African National Traders and Retail Alliance has threatened further urgent legal action against the city council over current law enforcement.
This follows the alliance’s claims that Metro police planned to begin removing ‘illegal’ traders from the CBD on 8 September.
“Given the massive imbalance between legal trading spaces and the 8 000 inner city people actually trading on sidewalks, tomorrow’s [8 September] planned law enforcement operation will effectively leave 5 000 or more Johannesburg families without food – affecting up to 50 000 dependents,” said the alliance’s spokesperson Edmund Elias.
Earlier, the city council reassured that its latest action was in compliance with an earlier Constitutional Court ruling, which ordered that traders who were forcibly removed in the city council’s Clean Sweep Operation could continue trading and should not be harassed by Metro police.
“General bylaw enforcement must also not be seen as harassment or a special operation during this period,” the city council said in statement.
“The remarking of existing trade areas is to protect traders themselves and any allegations of corruption must be substantiated so that action can be taken against those police officers.”
“The City of Johannesburg has clearly indicated to all stakeholders that it is in the process of finding amicable and sustainable solutions for informal trading in the city,” it said.
However, despite the city council’s claims that consultations with informal traders had gone well, and it was agreed that traders would be afforded a second consultation meeting, the alliance described the city council’s proposed engagement with informal traders’ leadership as a “non-starter”.
“There is no clear or transparent formula in place. To remove large numbers of street traders without negotiating better management violates the law,” Elias said.
However, Metro police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said there were no plans to remove informal traders from the inner city, but bylaw enforcement was ongoing.
“Informal traders are allowed to trade in the city as long as they do not contravene the bylaws which include trading on a pavement that is too narrow, trading in front of an ATM… a shop or building entrance or trading in front of a place of worship or government building.”
Minnaar also dismissed claims that Metro police officials were harassing informal traders, explaining that officers would continue to enforce bylaws and in instances where traders were in violations of these bylaws their goods would be confiscated.
