SA citizens first in line for informal trading spaces

THE City of Johannesburg is redesigning its informal trading space by prioritising South Africans in the taking up of informal trading stalls around the city.

The city, this week, approved a policy that would regulate informal trading and give first preference to South Africans. The policy, which had been in the making since 2018, was first endorsed by the Economic Development Section 79 Oversight Committee to be tabled at an ordinary sitting of the council. The policy was subsequently adopted by the council and officially became law, paving the way for an organised informal trade sector within the city.

Currently, there are around 1 800 stalls awaiting allocation in different regions. Economic Development MMC Nkuli Mbundu told The Star that the policy would ensure that informal trading spaces are clean and will also introduce South Africans to economic opportunities in informal trading. Constitutionally foreign nationals are allowed to trade in Johannesburg, but South Africans would be preferred candidates for trading.

“Everywhere, South Africans will be prioritised. We are in control of the permit system. When we receive an application, we link it up, and it will be authenticated that you are South African," Mbundu said.

Mbundu said the vision for the city was to have the majority of businesses belonging to South Africans. He said he did not believe that South Africans were lazy and did not want to participate in informal trading.

“There has been a perception that South Africans are lazy, but that is not true. South Africans compete with people who live in their shops. South Africans deserve an opportunity to make a decent living," Mbundu said.

Mbundu said, in partnership with other departments in the city, informal trading spaces will be cleaned, have visible ablution blocks and be safe for trading. This would also see places like the Noord taxi rank being cleaned up.

“The policy will limit the number of people that can trade. There were around 14 000 permits that were issued around the 2020 period. The policy will limit (certain goods), making sure that the same thing is not being sold over and over. We are working with development planning to ensure that these spaces are not overcrowded."

Mbundu said the regularisation of informal trading would also help curb the sale of counterfeit goods. It was not clear how the policy on informal trading would be received, since most permits were expected to expire at the end of the national state of disaster.