‘Chainsaws’ update: ‘We feel for these guys,’ says Metro cop

Councillor Gert Niemand called the incident sad after Eric Lekgetho’s two chainsaws had been confiscated by Metro Police members.

Niemand said he did not want to encourage residents to break by-laws but he feels in the current economical climate it should be encouraged that those who are unemployed find innovative alternative means of employing themselves. He also said he is not sure if Lekgetho was breaking a by-law, if any.

‘I can’t feed my family because of Metro Police’

“He is not actually conducting his business on the pavement, he does that on his clients’ premises. Neither is he selling anything. It sounds like he is being targeted,” said Niemand.

Metro Police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said that after investigation he found that in this case Lekgetho had chained his two chainsaws to a pole on the sidewalk which caused an obstruction to pedestrians and said if it was not chained it would not have been confiscated.

Another senior Metro Police member, who did not want to be named, said Lekgetho most likely transgressed one of the by-laws pertaining to street trading. He also said the R2 600 Lekgetho has to pay to get back his equipment as well as the R105 per day for storage are determined by the City and that the Metro Police can not deviate from these fines. He did say though that he “feels for these guys”, referring to the informal traders.

Lekgetho, who has a wife and three children, told the Record that due to the incident he has been without any income for the past two months.

What do you think? Was this fair? Should this man have been robbed of his income? Could they not just have given him a warning?

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