The local economic development department has closed the window period and is no longer issuing permits.
The J.B. Marks spokesperson, William Maphosa, says he regrets the inconvenience to other informal traders and spaza shop owners seeking permits.
According to a reliable source, approximately 200 people would queue up every day to apply. While there were isolated allegations of only 20 people being assisted per day and officials mistreating the applicants, not everyone had this experience.
According to Sulaiman Isalm, the brother of Samuel Isalm, who owns Holly Mission Take Aways in Ikageng, they had no trouble applying at the LED offices. They received their permit to operate on 10 April.
Alex Hseso, the co-owner of Thembanani Tuck Shop, said he didn’t experience any hassles applying, either. However, he said some tuck shop owners couldn’t get permits in time and, therefore, cannot operate.
Maphosa says the LED department issued permits to qualifying tuck shop owners, small-scale farmers and informal traders. On one occasion, however, the people got rowdy.
“The police were called to come and restore order when the applicants did not adhere to social distancing. Everyone wanted to get ahead of the queue,” he stated.
In total, 673 permits were issued: 209 for informal traders/hawkers, 447 to tuck shop owners and 17 for small-scale farmers.
