Marabastad fruit and vegetable market shut down
“Marabastad is becoming a high-risk area for non-compliance with labour legislation and needed a sustained attention.”
A fruit and vegetable market in Marabastad was forcefully shut down on Monday after it was found to be “dirty, unhealthy and hazardous” by the Department of Employment and Labour.
The department also shut doors to the Oriental Retail Complex and other nearby shops, trading in “muti”, among other items due to failure to comply with occupational health and safety regulations.
The department served the market in Marabastad with a prohibition notice that halts the owners from using the building.
The department said the site lacks firefighting equipment at strategic locations, operating with open electrical wires and non-compliance with the electrical installation which pose risks of electrocution and fire.
“In terms of an inspector report the market has been shut down because conditions threaten or are likely to threaten the health and/or safety of persons in terms of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act of 1993,” said the department.
Departmental spokesperson Teboho Thejane said the inspectors shut down the market in a joint operation after more than 20 people were also arrested for being illegal immigrants and/or employing illegal immigrants.
“Dozens of traders and illegal immigrants ran for cover as a joint multi-departmental inspection blitz descended at downtown Marabastad in an operation that led to the closure of the market,” said Thejane.
“Employers who obstructed the inspectors from conducting their duties were arrested. It is illegal for an employer to interfere with the inspector when on duty.”
The operation was led by the department, assisted by the police and the Department of Home Affairs immigration unit.
He said the operation was intended to check on compliance against a suite of labour laws, immigration legislation and also deal with criminality in the area.
An Inspection and Enforcement Services (IS) branch spokesperson Advocate Fikiswa Bede said the prohibition notice would be removed once the owners of the building comply.
“Marabastad is becoming a high-risk area for non-compliance with labour legislation and needed sustained attention.”
She said she was concerned that many of the traders in the area seemed oblivious to issues of compliance.
“It is either people here are ignorant of the law or they are just carrying on with their business without regard for the consequences,” she said.
Bede said an immigration operation had to be followed up by inspectors hitting hard against non-compliance.
Recently the Tshwane metro was planning to upgrade the Tshwane fresh produce market in Marabastad to grow the business.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the metro would spend R10-million on this investment in the 2022/23 financial year, R8-million of which will go towards the maintenance of the market.
Mashigo said residents and stakeholders could expect upgrades to the ripening centre, a redesign of entrances, exits, upgrades to public lights, perforated roller doors into the trading hall and an installation of a 500kVA emergency generator.
The market had faced challenges in the past such as the failure to monitor produce deliveries, a lack of proper hygiene control, safety and security apart from poor infrastructure development and maintenance.
It was also alleged that the market faced financial problems, technical limitations to reaching accepted food safety levels, had limited storage and poor access to rail transportation.
DA Gauteng spokesperson on agriculture and rural development Ina Cilliers previously said the challenges at the market were extremely concerning, especially as organisations such as the Institute of Markets Agents of SA, Fruit and Veg City, Pretoria Stall Holders Association and others detailed their concerns about the market and offered their assistance to improve the conditions.
“The toilets that are there are not properly maintained as there is sewage overflowing in the market on a daily basis,” said Cilliers.
** Article amended
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