Tshwane mayor steps into traders’ shoes
DONNING a pink shirt and apron, Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa spent the day as an informal trader yesterday.
In an effort to better understand the challenges informal traders experience daily while trying to put food on the table, Ramokgopa started off the day selling vetkoek, coffee and tea at the intersection of Thabo Sehume and Johannes Ramokhoase streets.
After selling out and giving the owner of the stand all the profits, the mayor walked through the city’s streets, stopping at various stands owned by women to chat to them about their work. He ended the day in Marabastad.
“The first challenge is infrastructure,” said Ramokgopa. “They are exposed to the elements. If it’s raining, I don’t think it’s possible for them to sell.
“The second challenge is if you walk around in town, you’ll see the pedestrian walkways are narrow, so there is competition between the traders and pedestrians.
“The third challenge is that they could be better organised,” Ramokgopa said.
The mayor said these were challenges the city was already aware of and was addressing, but it helped to hear about the issues first hand.
“The narrative used to be that they were unsanitary, but they are not going anywhere. We are here to help them and grow their business,” Ramokgopa added.
He said one of the ways in which he would address the issues, a process which he said was already under way, was to widen the walkways to create enough space for both traders and pedestrians.
“We are also going through the process of redesigning the stalls and we are also going to give them storage space,” Ramokgopa said.
Another objective of this mayoral exercise was to raise funds for the newly initiated Tshwane informal trade bursary fund.
Tembeka Mhlekwa, the head of the Economic Development Department, said the fund was initiated to help informal traders who couldn’t even afford to send their children to school.
“The fund will be formally launched in October. This is a way to help the informal traders whose children did well at school.
“Some of them matriculated years ago, but because their parents can’t afford tertiary education for them, they end up sitting at home,” Mhlekwa pointed out.
She said they already had partners in the fund but the mayor would also collect 20 percent of the traders’ profit to be contributed to the fund.
“This is a way for them to feel involved and have ownership of the fund and also feel like they have contributed in some way.”
We are here to help them and grow their business