Hawkers protest harm businesses

Local businesses lost thousands of rand and were also left with costly damages after the three-day protests by informal traders in the city centre from last Tuesday to Wednesday.

Price ‘n Pride’s financial credit manager, Geofrey Mthimunye, told Rekord on Thursday that they were struggling to trade during the strike.

“We are severely frustrated in terms of business. Customers were scared to come into our shops to buy or make their regular monthly payments,” Mthimunye said.

Mthimunye said the protests had cost their business more than R100 000.

He stated that they pay high rent and need to operate their business at all trading times to be able to meet their targets and pay expenses.

“We would appreciate it if the metro can resolve these protest marches that put pressure on our  business,’ Mthimunye said.

The violent protest on Wednesday also damaged the store’s property.

Two windows were hit with stones after the metro police fired on the marchers with rubber bullets.

Informal traders last year also marched in protest under the banner of Tshwane Barekisi Forum (TBF),..

This organisation distanced itself from the looting that took place and blamed the people who smoked nyaope.

They said nyaope smokers, commonly referred to as nyaope boys, used their protest as an opportunity to steal.

The deputy chairperson of BTF, Marry Ngema, told Rekord they traded in front of those businesses and could not do damage to them because that would impede their own business…

However, shortly after making this statement to Rekord, she and the other women told one of the businesses in Lilian Ngoyi Street that was operating to close. That business could not continue to operate while they suffer.

“If they continue to operate, the nyaope boys will sort them out,” she said.

Ngema added that it was their intention to make the city ungovernable.

An employee of one of the businesses in the area, Ivy Ngobeni, said she always feared that the protesters might attack her.

It was not only the businesses that lost money, but their employees as well.

Another employee, Ernest Tau, said he was paid on an hourly basis and working a few hours a day affects his budget and makes him struggle.

The hawkers said they would meet on Monday and discuss the way forward.

The Tshwane metro promised the hawkers that they would respond to their concerns after seven working days.

The vendors demanded that the metro police stop harassing them, confiscating their stock and trading licences and demanded that a metro police officer that allegedly earlier this year shot and killed one of the hawkers, Foster Revombo, in January be suspended.

They also want Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa, MMC for community safety Terence Mashego, and metro police director Jenny Malan to resign.