CPF concerned over filthy Robert Sobukwe Street short after clean-up
Hawkers have returned turning the walkway into a hub of illegal activity and filth a few days after the Sunnyside police, TMPD and other stakeholders cleared it.
The Sunnyside CPF has called for tougher action against hawkers who infringe by-laws on the sidewalks along Robert Sobukwe Street.
This after hawkers returned to illegally trade on the walkways turning them into a hub of illegal activity and filth just days after the Sunnyside police, TMPD and other relevant stakeholders embarked on a massive clean-up drive to restore law and order along the popular Sunnyside’s street.
“It is clear that together with the relevant stakeholders, we need to come up with some kind of back-to-back operation plan in response to the current problem,” Sunnyside CPF chairperson Sandile Dube told Rekord.
He described the continuous flouting of the by-laws as an act of disrespecting the law, the area and its residents.
“Allowing such situation to continue would mean we are self-hating residents. Therefore, as the Sunnyside CPF and the residents of this area, we cannot allow the flouting of the law to continue in our beloved Sunnyside.
“Filthy walkways portray a bad image about Sunnyside, and hawkers illegally trading on the sideways prevent residents from walking freely on the pavements.”
Dube said he was not against hawkers but “the way these particular hawkers who are breaking the law do business”.
“It is important for people to do their business in accordance with the law and anyone who flouts it should be dealt with appropriately,” he said.
He added that a swift response to the problem would ensure Sunnyside did not end up a lawless part of the Capital City.
Local ward councillor Mpho Lewele said he was aware of the problem and the good work the various stakeholders including, among others, the Sunnyside police, metro police and CPF were doing there.
“The discussions and preparations to revive Sunnyside and restore it to its former glory are at an advanced stage,” Lewele said.
Lewele said he would provide more details on the matter in due course as the matter has not been finalised yet.
He agreed with Dube that sidewalks along Robert Sobukwe Street filthy again.
In an article last week Lewele told Rekord that several businesses in the street had closed down because of the unfair competition the illegal hawkers on the sidewalks subjected them to.
He said the problem was that the hawkers congested the sidewalks making it difficult for customers to access the formal businesses in the area.
He said if by-law enforcement were regular, this would return the customers and save the local business and the economy from collapse.
ALSO READ: Councillor commends police and their partners on Sunnyside clampdown
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