Rivals in Marabastad Market dispute must talk it out

A court order suspending the city's closure of Marabastad Market is a reprieve and a conciliatory step, the South African Union Council of Independent Churches (SAUCIC) says.

- Marizka Coetzer

SAUCIC national spokesperson Cardinal Archbishop Modiri Patrick Shole welcomed the High Court in Pretoria's recent order, saying that it allows parties involved in the legal dispute to find amicable and mutually beneficial solutions to address the current impasse.

"Marabastad occupies a special place in the history of resistance against forced removals."

"It survived the repressive apartheid regime's concerted effort to destroy the livelihoods of historically marginalized communities that constituted the multicultural settlement," Shole said.

It would have been a travesty of justice to see the closure of such a viable economic hub that also supports traders from neighboring townships, he said.

"The training of 49 food handlers by the City of Tshwane and the issuing of zoning rights which allow them to operate their businesses at the Tshwane Fresh Produce Market demonstrated the municipality's commitment to formalize trading and enterprise development," he said.