Hawkers

The livelihoods of people selling produce are being threatened by the high food prices

Informal traders were swept off Jo’burg’s streets in October and although the city now appears to have embraced them, their future remains uncertain.

The city’s informal traders say they’re the victims of arbitrary, violent removal from their stalls, but Tshwane denies its police harassed them.

More than 100 hawkers have gathered in Pretoria, protesting against alleged abuse by the Tshwane Metro police.

Several informal traders in Pretoria have complained of vicious physical attacks by members of the Tshwane metro police.

Hawkers, mamas, mourners and pilgrims have sparked a brisk trade outside his Houghton house.

Judgment has been reserved in the urgent application brought by Johannesburg street vendors who want to be reinstated back to trade in the city.

The City of Jo’burg will face two similar court challenges next week, seeking to interdict the "illegal" eviction of informal traders from the city.

The City of Jo’burg is about to face its second court application regarding the "illegal" removal of informal traders from the inner city centre.

JMPD says it knows nothing about the alleged harassment of traders and resultant goods confiscation by cops during Operation Clean Sweep.

The regional office of the ANC has refused to participate in an attempt to resolve the impasse between the City of Jo’burg and 7 000 street traders.

The verification of street vendors in Johannesburg has been chaotic, says the South African National Traders’ Retail Association.

Despite condemnation from numerous groups, the police say they have been successful in "cleaning" the Johannesburg city centre’s streets of hawkers.

The city responds to questions from the M&G about street trader evictions.

Removing traders – and not much else – has done very little to improve Jo’burg’s inner city conditions.