No coffee break on Grayston Drive
SANDTON - Metro police “terrorise kids who want to make a living through selling coffee”.
This according to Sibu Vilakazi, a motorist who said he witnessed a Metro police officer chase away five youngsters who were selling coffee on Grayston Drive in Sandton.
“It was a group of five unemployed kids that started a coffee business so that they can earn a living,” explained Vilakazi.
He said the initiative by the youngsters had been receiving support from the public.
Vilakazi added, “This initiative was even discussed on Talk Radio 702 as a great initiative by the youth which needs support.”
Metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said, “Traders may sell, but they must trade in such a way that is not in contravention of the city’s bylaws.”
Vilakazi claimed that the Metro police officer refused to answer the children when they asked which law they were breaking. “She [Metro police officer] insisted that Grayston Drive was her road and she made the rules, even after the kids produced the municipal bylaws,” said Vilakazi.
Minnaar explained, “If traders cause an obstruction, endanger others or themselves while trading, then the Metro police will and must act.”
Vilakazi said, “It is very strange that the Metro police would leave people who are selling newspapers, cold drinks, watches, handbags and necklaces, and stop kids who are trying to make a living through selling coffee.”
Ward 91 councillor Andrew Stewart said if the youngsters were homeless he would like to help them. “I would like to locate them, so that the department of social services can provide them with support and perhaps find a more stable home environment for them,” he said.
Have you spotted youngsters selling coffee on Grayston Drive in Sandton? Share your views and comments with us on our Facebook page.
