Workshop enhances the growth of informal traders

IN an effort to create positive change within Bombay Mall, in Merebank, the South Durban Basin Area Based Management (SDB ABM) met with local leaders, community stakeholders and municipal departments to discuss service delivery challenges. One of the key issues discussed was the state of the Bombay Mall and one of the main problems  identified was poor compliance to municipal by-laws from informal traders at the market.

To this end, it was decided that an educational compliance workshop would be held with traders. Business Support in partnership with South Durban Basin ABM, the departments of cleansing and solid waste, libraries, environmental health and business licencing hosted a successful informal trader’s educational workshop recently at the Merebank Community Hall.

Through this workshop, 40 traders were present and participated successfully in the workshop which empowered their growth. The workshop created a platform for different departments to educate informal traders of different municipal by-laws that traders need to adhere to, the workshop further created a platform for traders to ask questions for clarity.

“Informal trade contributes enormously in the economy of South Africa and therefore requires the support of the government. The purpose of this workshop was to enhance the growth of informal traders and ensure that they are productive in a sustainable manner, while at the same time complying with municipal by-laws,” said Eurakha Singh senior manager at SDB ABM.

“A number of clean-up campaigns and enforcement blitzes have been coordinated by the SDB ABM to address the different challenges that are prevalent at the market, but these have not been sustainable; within the situation returning to square one after a day or two. Therefore, as Business Support we have decided to host these workshops on a quarterly basis to assist in mitigating the challenges and also ensuring sustainability,” said Justice Dlamini from Business Support.

Project Manager, Nompumelelo Ntuli from the SDB ABM, emphasised on the need of these workshops for traders to be ongoing in order to accommodate the new traders. The informal traders also shared their frustrations with regards to the issues that needed to be addressed by the municipality and clarity on most issues were given by municipal officials. Dlamini briefed the traders on the business support and South Durban basin plans to revitalise the mall and the surrounding precinct.

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