Cops accused of harassing street traders
Johannesburg, South Africa
16 April 2008 03:13
The police have been accused of harassing street traders and charging them exorbitant fines.
In a street-traders’ survey released on Wednesday, most of the traders interviewed — 94% — said they had been harassed by police. At least 82% of street traders said they had had their goods confiscated by the police and had difficulty in recovering them.
Street trader Martha Sigabi said the police did not issue receipts when confiscating their goods and often used excessive force.
“They use spray guns, which affect our health. Sexual harassment is another problem as the police take women traders into their cars and patapata [touch] them,” she said.
She accused the police of using abusive and humiliating language towards the traders.
Another street trader, Rose Nkosi, said most traders chose to sell their wares on the street instead of committing crimes. She appealed to the government to allocate land to the traders so that they could trade in a safe environment.
The survey revealed that 84% of the street traders did not have licences.
Sam Khasibe, spokesperson for the African Federation of the Informal Traders’ Organisation, said the issuing of licences was “dubious.”
Another bone of contention was the lack of business management skills, with at least 90% of the traders not having any business training.
The traders said they chose to sell goods on the streets because they are unable to obtain formal employment.
Khasibe dispelled rumours that there was tension between local and foreign traders. “There is no xenophobia. It’s just circumstances that make all of us fight over issues like prices.”
He said that the government should address the political instability in Zimbabwe as current conditions would prompt even more Zimbabweans to come to South Africa.
Meanwhile, metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar has condemned the allegations levelled against the police, saying they are “far-fetched”. He said he was not aware of any sexual-harassment complaints.
He said the police were fully aware of their responsibilities towards the public.
“We have to fulfil police responsibility and make sure hawkers comply with the by-laws. We cannot allow them to obstruct pavements and make it difficult for people to walk freely,” Minaar said.
He said the police followed procedures when they confiscated goods and issued receipts.
Efforts to obtain comment from the Department of Trade and Industry failed. — Sapa