Joburg in the balance

VITAL: OPPORTUNITY, ACCOUNTABILITY IN EQUAL PARTS

- BELINDA KAYSER-ECHEOZONJOKU

ENFORCEMENT: JMPD officers and crime prevention wardens in the CBD during the City of Joburg's crackdown on informal traders this year. According to bylaws, informal trading is prohibited or restricted in some public areas. All traders must get permission from the city to trade.

(Gallo Images)

Johannesburg's streets pulse with ambition and enterprise. The city's informal economy is a vital source of income for thousands, reflecting the resilience and ingenuity of its people. Yet, that same vibrancy is increasingly undermined by disorder.

Pavements have become trading corridors, bylaws are inconsistently enforced, and public spaces are deteriorating.

The challenge is not whether informal trading should exist - it must - but whether it can coexist with order, safety and hygiene. A city cannot thrive when lawlessness takes root.

Informal traders often argue that relocating to designated areas will harm their livelihoods. Their fears are understandable.

However, the City of Joburg has made efforts to provide structured trading sites designed to keep both traders and the public safe.