By Lebone Rodah Mosima
A street traders organisation in Johannesburg has accused the city and metro police of conducting illegal operations and taking part in “extortion” against informal traders.
During a march on Thursday, the Johannesburg Informal Traders Development Powerhouse (JOWEDET) delivered a memorandum to the city, calling for tighter management and regulation of the inner city.
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Better management, JOWEDET said, would address overcrowding and “disorder” in trading precincts.
JOWEDET alleged the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers were demanding permits that had not been issued to informal traders.
The organisation also claimed an extortion syndicate was operating within metro police. It said some officers were demanding thousands of rands from traders in exchange for allowing them to operate, even when valid permits were presented.
“[T]he men and women in uniform betray their oath of office to protect and serve and disgrace the uniform by becoming looters and thieves who serve their own pockets and stomachs,” JOWEDET leader Lulama Mali said.
The group also accused senior JMPD official Eldred Fortein, who is in charge of by-law enforcement, of failing to engage on “simple matters”, alleging he had “barked and shouted while making racist remarks” about traders.
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“JMPD is driven by greed. You don’t have pride for our city but are driven by greed,” JOWEDET members said at the march.
“JMPD officials are earning a living through our taxes but oppressing us and taking from the poorest of the poor under the auspices of asking for the unavailable permits.”
Mali said that informal traders, many of whom are breadwinners, were being forced to leave despite holding valid permits.
“JMPD is enforcing bylaws which is false, as we are witnessing a campaign of displacement disguised as bylaw enforcement.”
The City of Johannesburg said it had assessed the concerns raised by trader representatives and maintained that by-law enforcement in the inner city was necessary to restore order, cleanliness and safety.
It said that recent operations had produced measurable improvements.
The city said it had not received a verified list of affected traders, limiting its ability to determine the extent of alleged non-compliance.
The permitting process would continue, it said, which included verification of traders and the rollout of a smartcard permit system.
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JOWEDET has lodged a petition over the “ill-treatment and harassment” of informal traders operating legally in designated spaces, and demanded immediate action from Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero and City Manager Floyd Brink.
Mali said the petition called for the remarking of trading stands and the issuing of permits.
“It is our understanding that trading spaces are regulated in terms of the Business Act, section 71 of 1991, read with the 2012 City of Johannesburg informal trading by-laws, and our approach is to seek collaboration and cooperation with the City in clarifying designated trading areas in line with the City of Johannesburg’s Informal Trading Policy,” Mali said.
“The city has removed our members (traders selling on designated stands from Eloff Street and Von Brandis Street; Eloff Street between Plein St to Jeppe St, etc.) while the City is claiming to be re-allocating trading spaces, and it is our livelihoods.
“Immediate action and decisive leadership is needed to restore the city to its world-class status and order, including clarity on the informal trading sector,” he said.
Mali said JOWEDET had tried to communicate with city leadership through several emails requesting a meeting, calling for an end to the “tolerance of a city” where informal traders were harassed and chased away after operating in legal designated spaces for more than 30 years.
He also alleged that by-laws were not being enforced, contributing to a culture of lawlessness.
He demanded that Morero and Brink hold a proper consultation with informal trader representatives.
“Johannesburg is at a breaking point, and neglecting the city’s infrastructure and governance will lead to irreversible collapse. The residents of Johannesburg deserve better!” Mali said.