Hawkers blame smell at Port Shepstone taxi rank on municipal authorities
The Port Shepstone Hawkers chairperson Bernard Maluleke said they marched to the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality office in March and in September.
The repulsive smell at Port Shepstone taxi rank has been blamed on careless Ray Nkonyeni municipal authorities by angry hawkers.
The street hawkers have alleged that they notified the municipality about the unbearable smell and dirt at Port Shepstone taxi rank in March and reminded them about it in September, but they have received no feedback.
The eyesore of the taxi rank and dirt of Port Shepstone are impacting negatively on the businesses of street hawkers who mostly sell fresh produce. The Port Shepstone Hawkers chairperson Bernard Maluleke said they marched to the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality office in March and in September.
“We handed memorandums of grievances and appealed to the municipal authorities to clean our town so that we could sell our goods to our clients. We lose customers because we sell from the streets and our town or taxi rank where we operate are filthy and no one cleans it,” said Maluleke.
Maluleke said they complained about a host of other issues including, rampant crime at the taxi rank and Port Shepstone CBD.
“We need 24-hour visible security at the taxi rank for our customers and elderly people to be safe from robbers. We needed operating licences, we needed shelters for the hawkers and that those hawkers who were deprived of their shelters must have them back with keys,” said Maluleke.
According to him, the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality Department of Economic Development promised to subsidise small businesses and hawkers for Covid-19 business losses during the national shutdown.
“We demonstrated in September, because we have not yet received a penny from them until today. Some of us received messages that they will get the money other’s received none,” said Maluleke.
The hawkers’ secretary, Nomvume Mditshwa said they need the Covid-19 subsidy because it could help their business make up for the lost profit, and help them revive their businesses.
“We need the municipality to clean our taxi rank because it is an eyesore. We need this Covid-19 money. We demand shelters and that security must be tightened in our taxi rank and the town for the safety of our clients,” said Mditshwa.
The Herald contacted Ray Nkonyeni for comment last Wednesday, however no response was received.
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