November 12, 2004
By Ndaba Dlamini
BREE STREET, in central Johannesburg, was deserted on Thursday morning, 11 November, as hawkers packed away their wares to protest against recent actions by the Metro Police.
A handful of people dishing out pamphlets at street corners were the only signs of life on these normally crowded pavements.
"Where have all the hawkers gone?" asked one perplexed woman. The answer was "gone to protest, every one".
Vendors' stalls on demarcated pavements stood empty and a remarkable silence pervaded the street. Not far from Bree Street, Beyers Naude Square was filling up with vendors, some from as far afield as the East Rand, ahead of a march to the Civic Centre in Braamfontein to hand over a memorandum to Johannesburg Mayor, Amos Masondo.
Edmund Elias, spokesperson for the newly formed Johannesburg Traders' Alliance, said the vendors wanted Masondo to declare a moratorium on the confiscation of hawkers' goods by the Metro Police.
"The key issue of today's march is the confiscation of hawkers' stock. The City cannot talk to us and shoot us at the same time. The punitive measures and the use of force that the City is using are not working."
Johannesburg Traders' Alliance chairperson, Livingstone Mantanga, addressed the hawkers and introduced the new association, describing it as "part of the unification of Johannesburg's informal traders".
Mantanga described the march as a proactive initiative, rather than a protest.
"We are angered by the City's Metro Police, who go around confiscating our goods without following the correct procedures," Mantanga said.
After the address, the estimated 2 000 vendors marched to the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) offices, where they handed in a memorandum calling for the resignation of the Agency's chief executive officer, Graeme Reid. Reid is also director of the Metropolitan Trading Company, a Council-owned company responsible for establishing and managing markets in the City.
Adam Goldsmith, the Agency's secretary, who promised the company would look into the grievances, received the memorandum.
Next stop was the Metro Centre, where the crowd handed in a memorandum calling for a continuation of dialogue that began on 26 October 2004. At that workshop, the City committed itself to training 500 informal traders in basic business skills. The City and traders also agreed to hold further workshops, with the next scheduled to take place before the end of November.
Phakedi Masekela, Masondo's legal advisor, received the memorandum on his behalf as he was in a day-long Mayoral committee meeting.
In a statement, Masondo said the City was committed to working with informal traders to deal with issues affecting the sector.
"Informal trading is an important sector in the economy of Johannesburg, but it must happen in an organised manner and in designated trading areas. It is the City's intention to regulate trading and to keep the City of Johannesburg clean."
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