“We are treated like outsiders in our own town.” Street vendors say.
The Local Economic Development unit in partnership with Harry Gwala District Municipality, SAPS and Traffic department conducted inspections with informal traders across Kokstad this week. While Greater Kokstad Municipality says it is working to create “orderly spaces” for informal traders, street vendors in the CBD say they are being treated like criminals in their own town.
In a statement released after the operation, the municipality said the inspections were part of the on-going commitment to enforce compliance, promote safety and create orderly spaces that work for both traders and the community. “A safer Kokstad is a shared responsibility” the statement read. But for street vendors who rely on those streets to survive, the operation felt like an attack on their livelihoods.
In an interview with this publication, a street vendor known by Intsika who has been selling in Kokstad for more than 15 years said she was left in distress after municipal officials demanded permits. “They have been coming, demanding permits from us every day and I feel like we are being treated like outsiders in our own town” she said. She stressed that the municipality does not seem to care about the people who have been selling for years, while other problems go unaddressed. “If you happen to not have a permit, they take all of your stock and tell you to pay R500 for them to release your stock”
For many vendors, each day starts with the same hope that few rands made will be enough to put bread on the table. With unemployment still crippling the Harry Gwala District, informal trading is usually the only option left for their families. The contrast between the municipality’s message of “shared responsibility “and the frustration on the ground is widening. Vendors argue that if the municipality cared about safety and order, it would start by protecting those who are trying to earn an honest living.
