Municipality issues warning to illegal traders
Illegal hawking in the CBD has become a point of concern for the community.
Mogale City has noted with concern that some informal traders and hawkers unlawfully occupy the land and pavement along Von Brandis Street where the once temporary taxi rank was situated.
It has also come to the municipality’s attention that all these traders are doing so without any permits as required by the Business Act 71 of 1991 and municipal by-laws.
While the municipality recognises the value of informal trading for the city’s economy, it also remains committed to ensuring that vendors and traders are adhering to business laws.
According to MCLM communication officer Refilwe Mahlangu, this is not only in compliance with health standards and beautification of the city but also considering the safety of Mogale City residents and managing potential risks on other businesses in the city.
“Mogale City is obliged to implement and enforce its by-laws as well as other applicable legislation to address what can potentially become a major problem. Mogale City has given notice to all informal traders, illegal occupants, and invaders of the aforesaid municipal land and pavements to vacate the site. Failure to comply with this request, the municipality will impound and confiscate any movable or immovable goods on the property,” Mahlangu confirmed.
The issues follow shortly after the new taxi rank made headlines when a standoff between taxi associations and police turned heated last month due to a conflict of routes. Issues also include a lack of sanitation which has become a problem for commuters and businesses in the area. Notably, people have set up camp right behind a school and this has been reported to Public Safety on numerous occasions. The area is also flooded by drug abusers with little to no police visibility.
During an oversight visit, councillor Mark Trump said, “The taxi rank has toilets, enough dustbins, and a big skip bin but vendors continue to dump their waste in the water canal, causing a bad smell and creating a health risk. The rats that run around there are as big as cats. What is even more disgusting is that people use the canal as a pit toilet, and will also urinate against the nearby primary schools, even in front of young children. This is an absolute disgrace and is only happening because Mogale City is not enforcing by-laws.”
All the while this happened community members and organisations have done all they can to ensure that the area and its surroundings are being taken care of. According to Trump, there have been several clean-ups but more has to be done.
“Together with AfriForum Krugersdorp and the community, we did as much as possible to clean up the mess as it went through the relevant departments at Mogale City without supervision. The other threat is the amount of debris that accumulates in the stormwater drains which can cause flooding as seen in the past,” Trump warned.
The municipality thanks all affected parties in advance for their co-operation in ensuring compliance with the said by-laws and vacating the property to ensure a seamless exercise in restoring the temporary taxi rank for other complying alternatives and hopes a resolution will be found to benefit residents and commuters.
