Illegal hawkers removed from Vryheid CBD, likely to be back soon
"The hawkers went to the police station, paid the penalty fee to get their goods back and went back to business as usual."
NO MORE than a month after they were removed from the CBD, the hawkers in Church Street returned.
The task team made up of AbaQulusi Public Safety officers and members of the SAPS, as well as municipal officials, again took to Church Street the previous week, to confiscate items and remove the street sellers once more.
“It is the very same people that were removed by the team last month,” confirmed Public Safety’s TS Mthembu.
Mr Mthembu said that he believed that the hawkers had gone to the police station, paid the penalty fee to get their goods back and went back to business as usual.
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“Although we are allowed to confiscate the goods, by-laws do not allow us to do so on a permanent basis, unless the offence has been repeated three times,” he explained.
He went on to explain that, besides being a cause for congestion on the pavements in Church Street, the hawkers also do not have selling permits and this was another issue the municipality was hoping to deal with.
The administrator, Mandla Nkosi, commended all those that have been behind clearing the streets of illegal hawkers.
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“Cllr Alta de Kock must be encouraged with regards to the effort she has put into moving the hawkers from the pavements, where they are not allowed to trade. She must be given all the resources and she must be assisted with this,” he said.
Mr Nkosi went on to say that these hawkers were not part of the business area and that the MEC of Cogta would have to be called in if necessary.
“The MEC has visited a specific town and stopped illegal trading and advised the traders as to the correct channels for people to register and work in proper places. If it is necessary we might have to look at this route. I will discuss this with the mayor and the municipal manager,” he said. With yet another operation gone by, Vryheiders wait to see whether this time will be the last time the hawkers are seen within the CBD.
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