About 70 people, mostly young people, took to the streets of Rosettenville on Friday, October 16, calling on businesses in Rosettenville and Comaro Crossing to create more employment and economic opportunities for local residents.

The march, organised by the Rosettenville Progressive Business Forum, moved along Main Street towards iPop Suzuki, where the forum presented a memorandum outlining its demands. The marchers later arrived at Comaro Crossing to continue their call for businesses to invest in the surrounding communities.

The forum wants businesses in both areas to do more to address unemployment and support locally owned small businesses, arguing that communities should benefit from the economic activity taking place in their neighbourhoods.

Forum calls for more opportunities for local businesses

Rosettenville Progressive Business Forum secretary Amos Mangciphu said the memorandum was intended to start frank discussions between businesses and the community about working together to create more inclusive economic opportunities.

One of the key demands is that at least 20% of gross lettable retail area be reserved for independently owned small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) from the surrounding community.

The forum is also calling for affordable rental structures, including subsidised turnover-based rentals or rental holidays during the first 12 months, to help local businesses manage start-up and occupancy costs.

It further wants non-specialised operational services, including security, cleaning, waste management, maintenance, facilities management and local marketing, to be outsourced to locally based black-owned companies registered within the municipality.

Other demands include affordable, weather-protected spaces for informal traders and pop-up exhibitions, as well as greater corporate social investment in Ward 56 and surrounding Johannesburg South communities.

Businesses urged to invest in the community

Forum chairperson Simphiwe Hlafa said businesses needed to go beyond employing a small number of local residents and ensure that more people from the surrounding community benefited from their operations.

He said businesses could also help tackle unemployment through skills development and training. Using cellphone repairs as an example, Hlafa suggested that businesses support training opportunities for young people to develop skills and services within the community.

He also stressed the importance of engaging with representatives who could make decisions and respond meaningfully to the forum’s demands.

iPop Suzuki responds to demands

Responding on behalf of iPop Suzuki, representative Mark said the company had grown from about 70 employees when he arrived eight and a half years ago to approximately 440 employees.

He said about six employees across the company were foreign nationals, with the remainder being South African citizens.

Mark welcomed further engagement, saying the concerns and demands would be discussed with the relevant decision-makers during a meeting in the company’s boardroom. He also urged marchers to stay hydrated in the hot weather.

Marchers unhappy with response at Comaro Crossing

No representatives from Comaro Crossing were available to receive the memorandum when the marchers arrived. Darrel from Land Rover accepted it on their behalf.

The marchers expressed their dissatisfaction with the response, vowing to return and threatening to shut down businesses if their demands were not addressed.

Members of Moffat View SAPS and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) accompanied the march.

At the time of publication, traffic was flowing along the route, although most shops in Rosettenville were closed. Prairie Street, Oak Avenue and Comaro Street towards Comaro Crossing were affected by the march.

The marchers are expected to proceed to The Glen Shopping Centre from Comaro Crossing

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