Financial boost for Inzingolweni informal traders
They will now be moved out of the shopping centre, new stalls will be built which will include water and electricity connections.
It was great excitement for informal traders in Izingolweni last Friday, as funding was made available for new stalls, which were damaged during service delivery-related community protests earlier this year, and then destroyed by the unrest and riots in July.
Some R8 million from Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has been earmarked to build new stalls and R870 000 from Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) to buy stock.
Due to the community protests and the riots, the stallholders were unable to operate their businesses.
Forty Izingolweni informal traders and five SMMEs were affected after a water-related community protest in March saw protesters damage the Izingolweni Shopping Centre where the traders operated from.
Thereafter, the riots in July saw their stock looted and stalls burnt.
They will now be moved out of the shopping centre, new stalls will be built which will include water and electricity connections.
Traders from Hibberdene will also benefit from the funding, as they were also affected during a service delivery protest, also earlier in the year.
The mayor of Ray Nkonyeni Municipality Cynthia Mqwebu delivered the good news to the traders at KwaDlovinga community hall in Izingolweni.
Mqwebu said that the looting and burning at Izingolweni should not have happened and it should have been protected by its people.
The Herald spoke to some of the traders to find out how they have been surviving.
Nonhlanhla Ngcongo-Dhlomo said they have been sitting at home for months with no income.
“We have children and grandchildren that we need to take care of. Some of our children are in matric and we have to save for them, but we could not for the past few months because we could not work.”
“Most of us don’t even have husbands and those who have husbands, they do not work and we have to take full responsibility for our homes,” said Ngcongo-Dhlomo.
Nokulunga Mthembu said she has a kitchen and employed four people, but they had to stay at home during the protest and unrest and she could not pay them.
Thembi Ziqubu mentioned that with this new facility they will also be able to attract customers because they will have a decent place to work from.
Some of these traders were not selling inside the shopping centre but outside, however they were affected by inclement weather. They have also benefitted and will now be operating their businesses from under a structure.
The project is expected to start soon.
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