Sunninghill informal trader Dumisa Phoko is back at his trading spot after Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers confiscated his goods during a by-law enforcement operation on October 13.

Speaking to Fourways Review during a follow-up visit, Phoko confirmed that JMPD officers returned to give him a receipt after the publication’s journalist and a Ward 96 councillor candidate had left the scene.

Read more: Sunninghill trader left without receipt as JMPD confiscates goods

According to Phoko, the receipt indicated where he could collect his confiscated belongings. However, he said his main priority was securing a trading permit so he could continue operating without further disruption.

“I did apply and they said I must come back on November 5,” he said.

Phoko was back at the site when Fourways Review visited him. He said street trading was his only means of making a living and supporting his family. The father of five had previously expressed concern about losing his stock during the operation, saying the confiscation had affected his ability to earn an income.

When asked about his earlier allegations that some JMPD officers take confiscated goods to sell, Phoko maintained his concerns, questioning the costs traders face to recover their belongings.

“Some do, because who takes apples and requires R5 000 to release them? Because they know we won’t be able to afford to pay for the storage fee to fetch our goods.”

Also read: Fourways informal trading and settlements under JMPD spotlight

JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla previously rejected claims that officers resell or unlawfully appropriate confiscated goods, stating that Phoko’s items were transported to and registered at the official Marlboro Pound.

The department said an impoundment notice had been issued and that the goods could be collected subject to the prescribed impoundment and storage fees.

The receipt issue was disputed after the operation because Phoko and the Fourways Review journalist who witnessed it did not see a receipt being handed to him at the scene. Phoko has now clarified that officers returned with the document after they had left.

For Phoko, the immediate focus is obtaining the permit and continuing to trade. “I am trying to make a living for myself and my family,” he said.

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