Tshwane Mayor, Dr Nasiphi Moya, recently conducted a site visit to the Marabastad Retail Market, alongside Economic Development and Spatial Planning MMC, Sarah Mabotsa, following the controversial shutdown in July.

During a by-law operation on July 25 in the CBD and parts of Pretoria West, the Marabastad Retail Market was closed after many vendors could not produce the certification needed to trade, along with several other municipal contraventions.

The move brought about mixed reactions from residents and stakeholders alike, claiming the metro had acted too drastically and hastily, and may have compromised the honest living the traders were trying to make.

During the site visit on October 16, Moya reaffirmed the metro’s decision, which has borne fruit, seeing that numerous traders could produce the certification needed this time around.

“They took us to court, the court then gave us directives on how we should work together, and now all of them have been trained, all of them have their Certificate of Acceptability (COA), and they are waiting for the trading licenses now.

“All of them, if you were to walk along the stalls, you would see that they are clean, there’s order, they have first-aid kits, they are complying, and that’s all we were asking for.

“We are not here to kill businesses, but we are saying that all the businesses operating in the city must comply. If they don’t, we are unable to protect the citizens who are their clients,” Moya said.

Mabotsa also expressed her gratitude for the traders’ compliance, asserting that the metro is ready to host all business.

She also said traders have been taught through the training workshops provided on food handling. Upon completion thereof, they received their COAs.

Traders have since applied for trading licenses, which are currently being assessed and will be issued in due course.

“The City of Tshwane is open for business, and we want those who want to trade to have the credition necessary to ensure they do lawfully. Our offices at the Middestad Building are open; you can come apply.

“So we are saying, everyone who wants to open a business, come down to the Middestad, and we’ll be able to assist you,” Mabotsa said.

Watch here:

In July, we shutdown trading at the Marabastad Retail Market because most of the traders were non-compliant. We were back at the market today for some good news. Trading has resumed. The City has worked with vendors to train them and to ensure they complied with by-laws. Traders… https://t.co/Ojdec03MXs pic.twitter.com/5TVAsT6fRy

— Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) October 16, 2025

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