Durban - Street vendors operating in the Pietermaritzburg CBD have accused Msunduzi Municipality of demolishing their trading structures last week without warning.
One of the vendors, Thabsile Makhathini, who has been trading at Market Square for over two years, said she was shocked when she found her shelter damaged as she arrived to trade on Friday morning.
“Normally, when there are going to be major events to be hosted by the City, authorities usually warn us in advance so that we can remove our belongings,” she said on Sunday.
Makhathini, who sells ready-made meals of pap and meat, said the trading shelter she had been using had been damaged beyond repair.
“It was as if someone was using a sharp object and just wanted to cut my shelter into pieces,” she said.
Makhathini described the incident as a setback to her operation.
Msunduzi City Manager Lulamile Mapholoba said they were looking into the incident, and hoping for a long term solution with the street traders.
He said while there may have been short notice before the demolition of structures, the city had acted within the law.
“The fact of the matter is that those trading operations are not legal. But we need to have engagements with the street traders through their structures so that a long term solution is found around the use of that precinct,” said the city manager.
He added that such an engagement had already begun, and was led by Msunduzi deputy mayor Mxolisi Mkhize.
According to the city manager, the municipality wants to ensure that the CBD is used for legal trading and that only licensed operators conduct their business in the precinct and ensure that the municipality also generates income in the process.