The City of Johannesburg has made it clear that informal traders will not be allowed to return to unlawful trading in non-designated areas.

Executive Mayor Dada Morero stressed that while the city supports informal trading, it will not permit practices that obstruct pavements or expose people to unsafe trading conditions.

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He said pavements around Pan Africa Shopping Centre, where the informal traders had set up their stalls, were declared non-trading zones because they were overcrowded, unsafe, and disruptive to both pedestrians and businesses.

His remarks follow the recent removal of traders at Pan Africa, during the city’s high-impact clean-up of the area. Traders’ representative Bongani Malema said they believed the removal was temporary and linked to the G20 Summit.

“We respected them with their G20, but it does not help. We are not working, and December is approaching. That is the problem we have. That is why we are planning to mobilise, so that they can tell us why we can’t trade,” Malema said.

Morero said the clean-up and by-law enforcement were not inspired by the G20 Summit. “I did say in several interviews that this is not about the G20. The G20 is one important aspect of the work we do. But beyond that, enforcement will continue,” Morero said on the ANC Connect podcast.

Also read: City of Joburg gears up for city-wide clean up

He explained that the by-law enforcement is part of a broader mission to clean and reclaim Johannesburg’s inner city and other precincts.

But still, some traders question the timing. Malema acknowledged that they were violating by-laws but claimed that the enforcement had been inconsistent.

“By-laws have been here for a long time. If the city were really concerned, it should have enforced them from the beginning. Why now?” he asked.

While many residents have welcomed the cleaner, safer look of the Wynberg precinct, traders said the crackdown has come at a great cost.

“We are not coping, we are struggling, because JMPD is always here, watching us. Even if we try to sell at a far corner, they chase us away,” said trader Selinah Mtshweni.

The city insisted that its mission is not to chase traders away but to restore law and order without exception.

“We are firmly restoring order and ensuring safe trading conditions. This is about protecting both traders and the public,” Morero shared.

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