The public and the private sector must work together to empower informal traders in the fight against unemployment – which is a national problem.
This was according to Lilly Sambo, the leader of Informal Traders Women in Action.
According to Statistics South Africa, the latest unemployment rate in the country is 32.7%.
“We believe that businesses can play a crucial role in fighting against the high rate of unemployment and crime,” Sambo said.
She said this was only feasible when formal businesses and their owners in the private sector and the government institutions worked together.
“Looking back after a long time running informal businesses with fellow informal traders, I realised that we are going nowhere.
“The situation we are facing today is still the same as that more than a decade ago.”
She said they had failed to expand their businesses to the point where they could convert them into formal businesses and hire jobseekers – especially youths.
“Our failure does not mean that we have reached the end of the road. It does, however, provide us with an opportunity to do a self-introspection and change the criterion we are using to achieve our goals,” she said.
Although informal traders may be dismissed by some, it is important as it helps hawkers support their families, and avoid hunger and poverty in a country where poverty prevails, she said.
“Informal traders were not aliens. They are community members who take advantage of available opportunities to earn an honest living.”
She said working with formal businesses will provide many benefits to both formal and informal businesses as well as the community.
“Doing this means we will have an opportunity to discuss important issues such as improving the ways we do business in the city. We can make sure that both parties have a conducive environment to do business.”
She said their failure could be attributed to a lack of proper training programmes to run and grow businesses and financial management, among other things.
“These are some of the areas where we need help.
“We want to move out of the street and rent or own business buildings in the city centre. We want to be the eyes and ears of the police to help them in the fight against crime.”
Less crime in the city will encourage more people to buy products and services from the city centre, which will be good for both formal and informal businesses, she concluded.
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