Informal traders to move into new taxi rank
An informal settlement of about 100 people was living at the old taxi rank. The metro will intervene to assist them in finding alternative accommodation and has already starting profiling them.
Resolving the issue of informal trade at the new state-of-the-art taxi rank on the corner of South Street and Hendrik Verwoerd Drive, Centurion continued to be a high priority.
Peter Sutton, DA councillor of ward 78, said he followed up on the issue with the metro’s roads and transport department on Wednesday.
“The challenge we face is that 23 stalls were erected for informal traders at the rank, however, the amount of informal traders since then has doubled.”
Sutton said it was decided the issue will be addressed during the department’s Transport Month drive in October.
“The taxi rank falls under the Department of Roads and Transport, but the illegal traders fall under local economic development.”
Sutton said, “the 23 traders must move over and occupy the stalls and start trading and structures must be removed from the current old taxi rank”.
“The current old rank must be cleaned up and cleared. The land belongs to a developer, who must build a wall between the BCX-building and the rank, to get Suid Street neat.
“The land was approved for the development of a convention centre which is in the pipeline.”
Sutton said at the beginning of the process, the taxi associations documented 23 traders and therefore 23 stalls were built.
“We must keep in mind that we need to protect the traders’ businesses as well. We have often noted that when a trader settles somewhere and make a living, three or four others join him. In the end, none of them makes a living anymore.
“The traders are currently trading on the premises outside the stalls, and we can’t have that.”
He said the industry must be regulated so that every trader can benefit.
Rekord reported earlier, for this reason, the metro put a process in place in 2018 so that it can monitor how informal traders spread out in an area. Traders need to apply for a permit and a licence.
The metro will enter into a lease agreement with the traders, and no sleeping or living here will be allowed.
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By informal traders having to follow a proper process, they are also being educated about the requirements in terms of municipal by-laws.
In the process, the metro also offers assistance and make suggestions in terms of how to make a living.
Traders must be prohibited from setting up a stall wherever they want and take note that there are restricted trading areas to maintain order and organise communities.
An informal settlement of about 100 people was living at the old taxi rank. The metro will intervene to assist them in finding alternative accommodation and has already starting profiling them.
Atteridgeville taxi association also joined the rank, whereas it was originally only the Centurion taxi association that was involved.
There are health issues, safety issues, and sanitation involved when these decisions and viable options are being looked at.
Sutton said due to Covid-19’s impact on the tourist industry, the developer’s model changed; however, it is still the plan to build another underground taxi rank on the premises in future to address the demand.”
The metro confirmed it will endeavour to accommodate the informal traders at the new rank, however, it needs to check that there is no oversupply of traders in an area, MMC of Tshwane’s Department of Development and City Planning, Bruce Lee, said.
Workshops were held in the past and will be held again for informal traders to comply with municipal by-laws.
Sutton said if all goes according to plan, the move should be completed by the end of October.
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