The streets of Ermelo are clean after the Operation Zero Tolerance campaign swept through town centre four weeks ago.
Illegal traders were removed and their goods confiscated, while foreign nationals were requested to produce their legal paperwork.
South African Informal Traders Alliance provincial chairman, Mr Vusi Mashinini, has welcomed the campaign, saying illegal traders should apply for permits as all traders do.
The Alliance is on a mission to make informal traders’ lives easier.
Ermelo has more than 100 informal traders registered with the Alliance. They are engaging the municipality to enforce by-laws regarding informal trading.
One such by-law is that people are not allowed to sell next to religious buildings or on busy streets.
This has seen the removal of informal traders selling near churches and many on Church Street.
Another by-law the Alliance is hoping will be enforced is for the municipality to accept only qualifying foreign nationals with the required legal documents.
They bemoan the fact that some foreign nationals do not qualify to trade and use passports instead of permits, making the town congested which in turn breeds crime.
“We are not xenophobic or against foreign nationals. The law states only asylum seekers and foreign nationals with work permits can trade on the streets. If that were enforced, the streets would be clear of crime and in order,” says Mr Mashinini.
He added that any person can apply for a permit, provided they have legal documents, which are a South African ID and proof of residence, while foreign nationals can produce their work permits.
The Alliance wants the local trader to be first priority and be the first to benefit.
The situation is not ideal for the traders, which is why they request the municipality to provide storerooms, water tanks and adequate ablution facilities.
“It is basically stripping a person’s dignity when they have to drink water not fit for human consumption from toilets,” Mr Mashinini said.
However, Msukaligwa Municipality’s response was that stalls and toilets were erected for the hawkers next to the parking area of the Ermelo Mall, but these were vandalised. This means traders will have to make do with what is provided.
A familiar face on the streets is Masebatse Liflina Khanyile.
She has been trading since the 1980s, starting in Cassim Park when business was booming.
“I’ve been jailed during the times of apartheid, I have weathered storms and seen a lot during my time on the streets, but nothing has changed throughout the years,” she says. Her only wish is that government responds to their pleas.
The Alliance has one vision: to see the town clean and their traders working in conducive conditions.
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