Glenwood traders call for support

GLENWOOD traders, Colin Hansson and Charles de Ravel, have been trading together at a market they run on a street pavement on Bulwer Road, selling books, CDs, DVDs and old records, for almost a decade. But their business took a hit when they were fined by Durban Metro Police for trading on the street without a licence. The pair has set up shop at the beloved Glenwood pizzeria, Pizza My Heart, on Bulwer Road and are appealing to people to support them.

According to Durban Metro Police spokesperson Colonel Boysie Zungu, in order for anybody to sell on the pavement, one needs to apply for a permit from the Business Support Unit through the eThekwini Municipality.

“The permit will be issued, and the person will have his or her own designated space for trading. If a person is found trading without a permit, he or she will be charged for trading in a municipality property without a valid permit. They are charged for contravening section 11, R/W section 35–38 of informal trading by-laws of 2014, and the fine is R600,” said Zungu.

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Hansson said he willingly complied with the authorities although he’s frustrated with the situation because it has affected his business. “This has been my job for 35 years. I’ve set up shop at various spots in Durban; I’ve been selling goods on this pavement for 12 years. But because I didn’t have a licence, my stuff was confiscated, and I had to pay a R600 fine. The metro police came two months ago, and to be fair, I didn’t have my street trading licence, and when my things were confiscated, I was only able to get them back when I paid the fine.”

He encourages anyone who loves reading or watching movies over the weekend to visit his stall. “We’re now here at Pizza My Heart in Glenwood, and we’re here on Saturdays from 08:00 to 12:00. I sell books, CDs and DVDs as well as old records. Most of my books are R20, and they go up R30 and R40. and I have specials on my DVDs and CDs – they’re R10 each.”

De Ravel says he’s been trading for eight years now. “I joined Colin a bit later, and I’ve been trading alongside him for about eight years. Originally, there was a restaurant called Earth Mother that sold organic vegetables and foods, and the trouble was, people couldn’t find them because the sign was a bit out of sight. They asked us to come and trade on the pavement to attract people to the business, and the collaboration boosted both of our businesses.”

“Colin does mainly books, CDs and DVDs, and I do exclusively DVDs. He’s the book guy, and I’m the DVD guy. We had both built up a great clientele because most people are walking by on a Saturday in this community,” said de Ravel.

De Ravel says business has gone down tremendously. “Pizza My Heart has very kindly asked us to trade on their premises, and we’re grateful for that, but we have lost all passing trade. Where I used to have 30 customers on a Saturday morning, I now have three, if I’m lucky. The police told us that it will take six to eight months to get the permit, so we have to rely on word-of-mouth at the moment.”

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De Ravel says the market is the perfect place for mobie collectors to shop. “I’ve got DVDs for as little as R10, musicals, Blu-rays, Arthouse movies, comedy, Anime and a huge British series section plus a sizable US series section. For people who are still old-school and have their DVD player, it’s a collector’s haven.”

Glenwood resident Earl Walker says he visits the market every weekend. “Charles is very accommodating – when you ask him to recommend something, he can always find exactly what you’re looking for. I’m a collector so I come to them every Saturday. Not only is it great for collectors, it’s a great place to socialise and to find like-minded individuals.”

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