Thousands of hawkers handed over a memorandum to Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo’s office on Thursday, demanding an end to the confiscation of their goods in the inner city.
Masondo’s lawyer, Phakedi Masekela, who received the memorandum on his behalf, told the hawkers the mayor was in a day-long mayoral committee meeting but had promised his commitment to working with them.
He said the mayor will continue to build a relationship with the traders, following up on a workshop held in October with a second one in two or three weeks’ time.
The workshop will aim to resolve the differences between the hawkers and the city council, and also formalise the relationship between the two parties.
”We want the mayor to declare a moratorium on the continued confiscation of our stock,” Johannesburg Traders’ Alliance (JTA) spokesperson Edmund Elias said.
He said the confiscation of the stock is stalling dialogue between the JTA and the city council.
”You cannot talk to us and shoot us at the same time. Punitive measures and the use of force are not working,” Elias told reporters.
The protest march was also intended to introduce the JTA, a new umbrella body of hawkers organisations in Johannesburg, to the mayor.
Elias said the march marks a new beginning for the informal sector and a new relationship with the city council.
The hawkers also vowed they will work ”constructively” with the city council to ensure problems are solved and that their rights are balanced with those of other stakeholders.
The hawkers marched on Masondo’s office after handing another memorandum to the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA).
The memorandum demanded the resignation of Metropolitan Trading Company director Graeme Reid, and accused him of ”engineering” the city council to pass laws oppressing the informal sector. Reid is also the JDA’s chief executive.
The memorandum was accepted by Adam Goldsmith, company secretary for the JDA.
Tshepo Nkosi, JDA spokesperson, said Reid is on leave ”due to medical reasons”.
”[The] JDA is not responsible for hawkers, but for developing sites … to formalise the informal trading and turn it into economically viable businesses,” he said.
The peaceful march was nearly marred by a fist fight — which broke out as JTA chairperson Livingstone Mantanga was addressing the gathering — between three women traders and a man over alleged xenophobic comments the man made.
According to police, more than 2 000 hawkers attended the protest. Elias put the number at more than 3 000. — Sapa