STREET HAWKERS AND INFORMAL TRADERS IN MOKOPANE

Rebecca Selomo

Street hawkers and informal traders in Mokopane Town are in a hopeless situation as the Municipality has implemented a council resolution to remove them from the R101 South and the Municipal leadership has ignored their request to meet with them or receive their memorandum in a planned march thereafter.

The Mogalakwena Local Municipality Council resolved to remove the street hawkers at the N1 South Bound in November 2021.  That resolution was met with rejection not only from the hawkers themselves but also from civic organizations.  That rejection was expressed through meetings and engagements in which the municipality just turned a blind eye to the issues raised and implemented the decision three years later in apartheid-style land dispossession and forced removal.

These led all hawkers and informal traders in Mokopane Town to organize themselves to march and submit a memorandum to the municipality in a march with their various grievances, ranging from the economic unjust council decision, Economic Take over by illegal immigrants in town, illegal occupation of business sites, lack of supervision by the municipality and general lawlessness in town.  The march was held on 26 September 2024 and they waited for hours with no one accepting the memorandum despite following all due processes of organizing a march.  The memorandum was finally received by two councilors who were sympathetic to the course of the people.

All trends of events show that there is no political will from the municipality to consider the devastating effect of their action on hawkers who are also members of Mokopane township and villages.  The hopeless situation in the street of Mokopane affects not only the hawkers but also civilians.  The situation has the potential to cause chaos if not properly handled.  The leadership should take the matter further to tackle the situation.