June 30, 2004
By Ndaba Dlamini
INFORMAL traders in the inner city have been warned against obtaining fraudulent trading licences from people claiming to act as agents of the Metropolitan Trading Company.
The City of Johannesburg issued the warning after officials uncovered a licensing scam.
"City officials uncovered a scam involving certain individuals who claim to be representing the Metropolitan Trading Company," says the City.
"The City wishes to place on record that these individuals have neither the authority nor permission to sell or allocate trading spaces and issue licences in the inner city."
People claiming to be agents of the Metro Trading Company, a council-owned company responsible for establishing and managing markets in the city, are alleged to be selling licences to unsuspecting informal traders for R60.
Edmund Elias, a spokesperson for the Informal Business Forum, says the forum "disassociates itself from the actions" of these people.
Nthatisi Modingoane, the City of Johannesburg's spokesperson, says certain members of the Gauteng Hawkers' Association had allegedly been using a Metro Mall management committee stamp and had been illegally issuing trading licences.
"No person is authorised to issue trading licences to individuals in the city."
The trading company has laid charges with the police and investigations are under way.
Permission to use web site material
Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as:
- Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website
(www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency
(www.joburg.org.za)";
- If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original
article on this website;
- The name of the article's author is acknowledged;
-
The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill
in this brief online form).
Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 |
