Informal traders here to stay
Street hawkers are an integral part of any African city and Pretoria will not be any different as these traders make a major contribution to the Tshwane metro’s economy
Informal traders will remain a permanent fixture of the capital city as these resilient and innovative group of entrepreneurs forms a unique feature of African cities and completes the DNA of cities on the continent.
To this end, the Tshwane metro had committed to working closely with the leadership of informal traders in the metro to cement their place within the economy of the ‘people’s capital’, Tshwane executive mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa said.
He said the metro would continue to develop the necessary trading infrastructure for the informal sector in the next five years and to this end, about R100 million would be invested by the metro towards this endeavor.
The city would also focus on the creation of business development strategies targeting informal traders which would contribute towards improving the competitiveness of the sector within the city.
This would include, but not be limited to, linking informal business with formal business, facilitating the provision of financial and non-financial interventions, identifying market opportunities as well as training and re-skilling.
“We are committing to the leadership of this important constituency of our economy. Once we have collectively identified all legitimate traders, we will accelerate the allocation of permits in a manner that enhances the sector’s ability to generate greater income and ensures the peaceful co-existence with the formal sector, pedestrians and other road users,” Ramokgopa said during his 2015 State of the Capital address delivered on Thursday at Freedom Park.
The mayor said the metro committed to creating bold opportunities for those identified traders who cannot be accommodated in designated spaces.
“This includes assigning a cooperative owned by informal traders and the responsibility to clean the inner city and to assist with the maintenance of certain infrastructure within the CBD, thereby affirming our commitment of linking the informal and formal economies.”
Ramokgopa sent a clear message to all the identified street hawkers that none of them would go hungry and that the municipality would unleash their potential and show the rest of the country what could be achieved when all parties worked together.
“In the City of Tshwane, we can assure you that you have a dependable, friendly and progressive ally,” he said.
Firmly working towards the realisation of the commitment to the traders, Ramokgopa said the metro had successfully concluded negotiations with informal trading organisations located and operating in the inner city.
The outcome included a declaration that had been signed between the office of the mayor and the Tshwane Barekisi Forum, Tshwane Micro, Tshwane Nafcoc, TITCO and the Tshwane Informal Traders Forum.
Also read:
Tshwane debts higher than other metros
GALLERY: State of the Capital Address 2015
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