The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) believes informal trading has a bright future in forming part of the city’s economy and is taking steps to ensure their sustainability.
To this end the city’s deputy director of Informal Trading, Xolani Nxumalo, recently announced CoJ is in the process of establishing an informal trading forum which will act as a structure in solving sector issues. The forum is to meet quarterly and play a pivotal role in creating a new allocation system as well as re-registering traders and issuing them with new smart cards.
Informal trading is also only to be permitted in designated and demarcated areas.
The state of Roodepoort CBD’s Van Wyk Street, for example, would greatly improve from this turnaround strategy. The bad aspects of informal trading by which it has been marked, such as heavy littering, obstructing pedestrians, unsantiary conditions and criminal activities could become a thing of the past.
Speaking at a meeting regarding informal trading in Braamfontein last week, MMC for Development Planning and Urban Management, councillor Roslyn Greeff, said these conditions dissuade potential investors.
“[CoJ] is committed to developing the informal trading sector to be commercially viable and well-managed,” Greeff was quoted saying.
She also stated residents are insisting on better bylaw enforcement in this regard and want trading in front of homes banned for good.
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