Calls to formalise ‘out-of-control’ street trade
To be legal, all traders must purchase an annual permit for R60. Informal traders are urged to carry their permits every day to avoid confiscation of their goods.
Issues surrounding hawkers who ply their trade on pavements in mainly the CBD have again come into the spotlight, with the Endumeni Residents Association (ERA) calling on the municipality to follow the example set by Vryheid.
AbaQulusi (Vryheid) Municipality recently embarked on a series of weekly clean-up campaigns in the town in a bid to eradicate illegal informal traders and to ensure the implementation of bylaws.
The focus was on sidewalks, to educate informal traders about the various bylaws.
A list of do’s and don’ts has also been implemented to ensure that trading is done only in designated areas, with the emphasis on cleanliness and safety (with no open fires being permitted).
FC Bester of the ERA said this ‘progressive policy is certainly needed in Endumeni, where informal traders have impacted hugely on formal businesses, along with uncontrolled vagrancy and car guarding’.
“Many businesses have either moved or are looking to move out of the CBD because of these reasons – we even moved our coffee shop to our B&B.
“It is almost impossible to walk down Victoria Street, between Gladstone and Wilson streets, because of the hawkers taking over the pavements.
“It is the same case in Wilson Street near the Shoprite centre, where motorists simply double-park and jump out to buy veggies.
“There is absolutely no control or safety concerns.” While empathising with the street traders, Bester said that what is needed is a ‘progressive stance from the municipality, who need forward-thinking town planners to put in place areas where trade can be done safely and without impacting on other businesses that have to jump through hoops of the law just to open their doors’.
“And what about toilet facilities?
“There are no public toilets in the CBD, yet we have just recovered from Covid-19, where public health was the number 1 issue.”
Asked to comment on the debate, Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) chairperson Cllr Naresh Gopie admitted that the current situation regarding informal traders is ‘a concern’.
“This informal industry is growing daily and the concerns are fuelled by the absence of proper ablution facilities and the lack of enforcement of regulations, allowing informal traders to thrive at the expense of formal traders who bear the burden of paying rates, taxes and rentals.
“One of the most alarming aspects is the construction of shack shops along the perimeter wall of the Eventide old age and frail care facility – highlighted in a recent Courier.
“Deliberately created holes in the wall not only compromise the security of vulnerable residents, but also contribute to a sense of insecurity in the area. This situation highlights the urgent need for measures to address the safety and well-being of both formal and informal traders.”
He also took issue with the lack of ablution facilities; ‘it is distressing to witness individuals urinating on the same wall to which their shacks are attached’.
Such behaviour not only perpetuates unsanitary conditions, but also fosters an unpleasant and unsightly environment for residents and visitors alike.
“A formal trading post, established near the taxi rank a few months ago (sponsored by Buffalo Coal), remains unoccupied despite its official opening.
“This wasted opportunity raises questions about the effectiveness of support and resources provided to informal traders while waiting for the municipality’s Local Economic Development (LED) to allocate the stalls. This process has held up the gathering of necessary information to determine whether qualified stall occupants have been cited as obstacles to immediate action. This response is unsatisfactory, as it fails to address the urgent need to regulate and support the informal trading sector effectively.
“The current state of affairs is unacceptable and demands swift action from the LED department of Endumeni Municipality.
“Effective measures – including improved hygiene facilities, enforcement of regulations and transparent processes for formalising informal traders – should be implemented to restore order and fairness to the trading environment.
