MEC proposes by-law standardisation in Mpumalanga municipalities

The Mpumalanga MEC for finance, economic development and tourism, Vusumuzi Mkhatshwa, has urged municipalities to consider reviewing their by-laws towards informal traders to support the ever-growing informal economy.

Mkhatshwa was addressing the executive mayors of Mpumalanga and their respective members of mayoral committees (MMCs) responsible for local economic development, during a MunMEC held in Mbombela on July 23 to discuss various economic development issues.

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“In their current form, municipal by-laws are not transformative and developmental in respect of the informal economy, and if not speedily reformed, we might not be able to achieve the goals of addressing the continuance of the informality of the sector. I am aware that municipalities started reviewing their by-laws in 2018, but the review process has not been concluded to date. It therefore behoves this MunMEC to find a lasting solution to this context-specific matter, because it affects the informal traders disproportionately,” he said.

Mkhatshwa further urged municipalities to consider standardising their by-laws and ensure they are applied uniformly across all municipalities in the province. “The informal economy should be prioritised, continuously supported and nurtured, given its significant contribution to job creation and to economic growth of municipalities,” the MEC urged.

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All executive mayors and MMCs present at the meeting shared the MEC’s sentiments, agreeing that their respective by-laws were not favourable to the informal sector. They also agreed that the sector had not received the priority it deserves and committed to improve the situation. It was unanimously agreed that municipal by-laws should be reviewed and accordingly amended to favour and benefit informal traders operating in the respective municipal areas as part of revitalising township and rural economies.

It was agreed that the development of the Provincial Informal Sector Policy should be fast-tracked and concluded soon to pave the way for the standardisation of by-laws across all municipalities in the province.

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