Tshwane traders tell new mayor about their problems
The newly elected mayor took to the CBD streets to meet traders and engage with them over working conditions and some of the issues they face in the city centre.
Newly elected mayor Stevens Mokgalapa has promised to improve the state of the environment in which informal traders in the inner city work.
Mokgalapa, who was elected unopposed yesterday in a special council sitting, took to the streets of the CBD to engage with traders and hear about the problems they face.
Speaking to Rekord, Mokgalapa said the purpose of the walkabout was to make himself familiar with the issues facing informal traders in the city so that he could look at solutions to assist them.
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“I am passionate about having a clean city and local economic development.
“Informal traders play a big role in building the local economy and they need to be supported because they are SMMEs, they create jobs and contribute immensely to local eco growth.”
Speaking to the traders, Mokgalapa acknowledged their significance but urged that they should always ensure that they trade within the ambit of the law to avoid problems with the Tshwane metro police who inspect whether or not the traders are licensed.
He said another problem they wanted to avoid was overcrowding of the CBD with informal traders and the local economic development department should not “give out licences willy-nilly”.
Local traders in the area told the mayor that the biggest problem was storage facilities for traders in the area. They said they also need gazebos to shelter themselves and their products when they are selling.
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Another issue raised was the licensing process they had to follow to trade in the CBD, citing that paying for a licence monthly was costly and it would be better to renew a trading license annually.
The treasurer-general of Unified South African Traders, Vincent Macheng, told Rekord they were pleased to have the new mayor visit the area in which they work.
“We are happy that the mayor came to engage with us. It shows he is willing to fix up the city and area we work in.
“The main issue is storage facilities; our people are begging foreign nationals to store their goods in the shops and pay a fee for the storage.
“What we want is a licence for once a year. Sometimes people are not buying and business is slow because Marabastad is so congested and full of informal traders.”
They also asked for ablution facilities and clean water, so they can work in a dignified area.
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Mokgalapa said he would tackle some of the issues they raised speedily, such as cleaning of the area and providing traders with refuse bags.
Gazebos for traders, however, would not be resolved speedily.
The licensing woes faced by traders would also be addressed to find an amicable solution to their pleas.
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