August 8, 2003
By Thomas Thale
TRADERS at the Metro Mall, who were earlier in the week, locked out of the market for failing to pay rent, have started paying up and having their stalls reopened for business.
By Friday morning, 11 of the 23 defaulting hawkers had come forward to pay up, said Nhlanhla Ndovela operations manager of the Metropolitan Trading Company, a company that establishes and manages ranks and markets on behalf of the city. "Many of them paid a quarter of what they owed. They also made arrangements to gradually settle their debts."
The MTC on Monday locked out traders who had not paid rent for six months or more. Ndovela says collectively, the hawkers owed the MTC R100, 060. The defaulting hawkers accused the MTC of charging them exorbitant rentals.
When it opened for business last year, the R140-million Metro Mall was touted as the best-equipped market in the city established to meet the needs of taxis, hawkers and commuters. But the market has been dogged by ongoing skirmishes between its occupants and the MTC. In April, the MTC threatened to lock out taxi associations who had fallen behind with their rental payments.
One of the traders who had been locked out was Anna Mochekele, who sells cakes from stall number BGT132. Mochekele said she just can't afford the rent charged at the market. "I have three children to support and the money I make here is too little. Business was better in the streets you know. Good facilities mean nothing if you don't have customers." Still Mochekele, whose arrears stood at R4 800, has raised R1 200 and is now back in business.
Jabu Mento, spokesman for the Top Ten Committee that was elected by Metro Mall traders, says his committee has now called on the defaulters to pay up. "We have never called for a rent boycott. But business at the mall has been slow because the market has not been properly marketed," Mento charged, demanding a further 50% rent cut. "We will continue talking to the MTC. We want rent to be reduced by another 50%." In the meantime, Top Ten has advised members to pay what little they have to the MTC.
The problems at the market are further compounded by apparent infighting among hawker leaders. Mento blamed outsiders for sowing divisions among hawkers. "We only see them in the newspapers. We don't know who they speak for. Top ten is the only organization that was elected by Metro traders," Mento said in apparent reference to leaders of the Informal Business Forum and the South African Community Government Union. The two organizations had earlier in the week issued media statements claiming to speak on behalf of Metro Mall traders.
Late on Friday, Ndovela remained adamant that the MTC had bent over backwards to accommodate the hawkers and would not make any more concessions. "We reduced rent twice as a gesture of goodwill. First we brought rent down from R900 to R700, and more recently, in April to be precise, a further reduction was made, fixing the rent at R400."
