New municipal by-laws raise concerns
I am one of the many small business operators in Kathorus who attended a business presentation at the Katlehong North Customer Service Centre known as Emabhodweni on November 20.
What shocked me during the business presentation was an announcement made by a representative from the Ekurhuleni Metro Municipality’s Town Planning Department regarding the introduction of the proposed new tough by-laws compliance regime which the representative said was aimed at cleaning up the municipality’s townships.
I am not against the introduction of rules and regulations in order to maintain law and order or to ensure that the public, as well as businesses, are compliant with municipal requirements. What I and many of the people who objected to this during the business workshop, is the arbitrary introduction of such laws without consultation.
I find it suspicious that none of these by-laws were applied against illegal foreign traders who actually violated all municipal by-laws in the townships. As a township business owner, I now feel our rights to pursue businesses is being hindered by the introduction of strict municipal by-laws that will end up killing our efforts.
Why were these by-laws not implemented and policed by the EMPD during the more than 20 years foreign nationals have been operating in our townships? Many foreigners were able to build and grow their businesses in the townships by violating local municipal by-laws.
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We expect the Ekurhuleni Town Planning office to dialogue with us as the small business community in Kathorus and explain the new municipal by-laws before they are implemented. This issue is sensitive and needs to be handled with care by the city’s leadership.
I hope the presence of the editor of Kathorus MAIL during the workshop will give the people of Kathorus a wider and more meaningful perspective about this troubling development. I look forward to learning more about developments concerning the introduction of these new municipal by-laws.
The sizeable number of local voices rejecting the idea during the workshop was high enough to warrant an in-depth explanation from the Town Planning Office about what exactly these by-laws and their impact on small businesses in the townships will be.
Aubrey Nkabinde
Mosiliki Section
Katlehong
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