Market owners fight back
Organisers of the Moreleta village market in the Moreleta Kloof nature reserve would urgently apply to have last week’s decision by the Tshwane metro to temporary close the event reversed.
Organisers of the Moreleta village market which is held in a nature reserve, have reacted to a decision by Tshwane metro to temporarily put a halt to the arts and craft fair.
Referring to a comprehensive list of benefits that the market had brought to the Moreleta Kloof nature reserve, organiser Pierre Pitzer appealed to the council to reconsider its decision.
“With all relevant facts taken into consideration, we appeal to the decision-makers to lift the temporary closure of the market as soon as possible allowing all parties involved to enjoy and benefit from this event,” Pitzer said.
He said giving charity organisations an opportunity to raise money, making work by previously disadvantaged artists and crafters available for sale, creating employment opportunities were but some of the contributions made by the market.
“The market and Rademeyers restaurant – which leases the property from the metro on which the market is held – donate R2 000 a month to the Friends of Moreleta Kloof,” Pitzer said, adding that these donations could be used for maintenance and other needs on the reserve.
Announcing the temporary closure of the market, Tshwane metro spokesman Lindela Mashigo said despite that the area where the stalls were placed was not an ecologically sensitive area, the council would first investigate the claims by both those in favour and against the market.
“When we decided to start the Moreleta village market last year, our main objective was to create an event that would give entrepreneurs and artists the opportunity to sell their crafts, but more so to present and organise an event residents in the east of Pretoria and surrounding areas could enjoy on Sundays,” Pitzer, himself a Friend of Moreleta Kloof, stated.
He said after meetings with Rademeyers restaurant owners, Tshwane Nature Conservation and Friends of Moreleta Kloof, the green light was given and the first market took place on 29 November last year.
“The quality of our 130 exhibitors’ products by far surpasses any market in the metro, making it the place where people want to spend their leisure time and money,” said Pitzer adding that the organisers had to adhere to traffic and parking control, health and safety, sufficient ablution facilities, refuse removal and cleanliness conditions that were part of the agreement with the metro.
He said the Moreleta village market offered stalls to various charity organisations for free including:
– 67 Blankets for Mandela had a permanent stall for its winter campaign;
– Pathways Charity – making dog biscuits – collected money for the vision impaired;
– The Organ Donors foundation recruited potential donors;
– The women against abuse ran their awareness campaigns;
– The Hanna charity empowerment foundation collected hygiene products for distribution to the poor.
The Moreleta village market also currently employed five previously unemployed individuals, Pitzer said.
To create awareness of and raise money for the reserve, market organisers recruited for the Friends of Moreleta Kloof.
Rademeyers’ director, Deirdré van Helsdingen, said the restaurant would ask the metro for permission to open the market on Sunday 31 January.
She said there was a need in the Moreleta area for healthy family activities such as the market which also assisted the reserve.
“More paying Friends of Moreleta had been recruited since November last year as had been for the entire 12 months before the market,” Van Helsdingen said.
She said many Pretoria residents were not aware of the nature reserve and its beautiful walking trails. “The exposure brought about by the market has already created an increase in the number of visitors to the reserve,” she said.
Also read:
Metro pulls plug on market in the reserve
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