Policy set to change CBD
Business owners said they had enough of the large number of street hawkers.
“Eita boss, come check. I’ve got what you need!”
These are words business owners and shopkeepers have become accustomed to hearing outside their stores in the Central Business District.
Business owners said they had enough of the large number of street hawkers.
“They are like cockroaches; you chase one away from a street corner or outside your shop, and they’re back again the next day,” said an Allen Street businessman, who wished to remain anonymous.
Another businessman went to the extent of placing razor-sharp spikes across pillars outside his store, to deter hawkers and prevent the sullying of his storefront with illegal advertising.
However, it seems the problem is not enough policing from the Newcastle Municipality enforcing by-laws.
Marketing Director of Scott Street Pharmacy, Jameel Butler, pointed out some of the major issues linked to the hawkers.
“They make the streets look unappealing; there needs to be order. We have no issues with the hawkers making use of the shelters put in places for them, but it’s the ones sitting on street corners selling everything from muthi to lunch, who are the problem.”
The main gripe businesses all shared, was hawkers making their businesses look shabby, while discouraging clients from entering the premises.
Portfolio Councillor for Economic Development and Planning, Matthew Shunmugam expressed confidence that the hawking problem would soon be a thing of the past.
“We are finishing up on new hawker shelters, and will police the matter much stronger in the future,” he explained.
Cllr Shunmugam suggested one of the major reasons the municipality was not properly equipped to deal with the hawkers, was due to uncertainty within the current by-laws.
This belief was substantiated by the fact that the hawking problem would be addressed through new policies regarding hawkers that would be submitted to Council by the end of the month for approval.
“With the new policies we have addressed the fallacies of the by-laws, and we will have the ability to clamp down on the illegal hawkers.”
Mayor, Afzul Rehman, said the problem of illegal hawkers was an unending one, and stated the municipality would police the issue accordingly.
