Category Archives: street traders

Abahlali to Support Street Traders in their Protest in Durban Tomorrow

Thursday, 05 July 2018

Abahlali baseMjondolo Press Statement

Abahlali to Support Street Traders in their Protest in Durban Tomorrow

The ANC in Durban continues to grow rich off impoverished people through corruption and political gangsterism. They continue to try and divide us by race and ethnicity. Death threats remain the order of the day whenever anyone stands up for honesty and justice. Our movement continues to face serious and credible threats.  Continue reading

JMPD officials disregard Con Court order, assault and arrest lawyer acting for informal traders

PRESS STATEMENT

Issued by: Socio-Economic Rights Institute of SA (SERI)

5 December 2013

 

JMPD officials disregard Con Court order, assault and arrest lawyer acting for informal traders

 

Nomzamo Zondo, an attorney from SERI who represents the South African Informal Traders Forum (SAITF) and over 1 200 informal traders, was this afternoon arrested by Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officers in the Johannesburg CBD.

Her arrest comes only a few hours after the Constitutional Court interdicted the City of Johannesburg from interfering with lawful informal traders’ rights to trade in the inner city, pending the hearing of an application to the High Court to review the decision to implement the so-called Operation Clean Sweep campaign in the inner city.

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SERI: Informal trader beaten by JMPD officers

http://www.seri-sa.org/index.php/38-latest-news/208-seri-press-statement-informal-trader-beaten-by-jmpd-officers-25-november-2013

PRESS STATEMENT

25 November 2013

Informal trader beaten by JMPD officers

Physical abuse, bribery and xenophobia evident in Operation Clean Sweep

On the afternoon of Friday 22 November 2013, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officials assaulted and arrested a number of informal traders in the inner city of Johannesburg. A female trader from Mozambique, who is currently represented by SERI, witnessed the assaults and was subsequently beaten and arrested. Below is an account of the incident drawn from her statement. She remains anonymous as she will be laying charges against the police and fears being victimised. We refer to her below as “Belinda”.

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CUBES at WITS: Outrage at Forced Evictions of Street Traders in Johannesburg

http://joburgtraderesources.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/cubes-at-wits-outrage-at-forced-evictions-of-street-traders-in-johannesburg/

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: OUTRAGE AT FORCED EVICTIONS OF STREET TRADERS IN JOHANNESBURG

25 October 2013

Members and friends of the Centre for Urbanism and Built Environment Studies (CUBES) in the School of Architecture and Planning at Wits University note with grave concern the evictions and violent raids on over 3 000 informal traders that have taken place since 10 October under a “clean sweep” initiative following a directive of the Mayor of the City of Johannesburg.

As indicated by the Socio Economic Rights Institute, the operation does not comply with the City of Johannesburg’s existing economic, spatial or urban management policies or by-laws, which claim that the City recognises informal trade as a key economic activity which creates livelihood opportunities. Nor does it abide by the City’s own statement issued earlier this year that said it wants to ‘ensure informal trading is effectively integrated into the economic, spatial and social development goals of the city’.

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M&G: The scouring of Jo’burg’s inner city

http://mg.co.za/article/2013-10-24-the-scouring-of-joburgs-inner-city

The scouring of Jo'burg's inner city

NIREN TOLSIMANQOBA NXUMALO

Standing on the corner of Kerk and Joubert streets in Johannesburg's inner city on Tuesday morning this week, Mandla Mabaso said he was ready to die.

"I'm going to toyi-toyi [against the evictions of inner-city informal traders] and I hope I die," said the street cobbler, tears forming in his eyes. "It is better that I die than see my children suffer."

Earlier that morning, Mabaso had kept R13 for the taxi fare he needed to get from his home in Soweto to Johannesburg's city centre where he fixes shoes from 7.30am until seven at night. Mabaso had given the rest of his money to his wife to take their two children, Sicelo (5) and Ntombizodwa (5), to the local crèche.

But when Mabaso (32) arrived at his usual spot he was told by members of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department that neither he nor the almost 100 traders who eke out a living at the Kerk Street linear market would be allowed to trade there, with no indication of when they might be be allowed back.

Mabaso, like many of the traders, had no money to return home. Nor could he imagine how he was going to find the R450 for next month's rent, or the R600 to keep his children in crèche during October. He was inconsolable.

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