Joburg traders turn to ConCourt

Police arrested hawkers around Joburg's CBD in a clean-up operation of the city's streets last month. Picture: Adrian de Kock

Police arrested hawkers around Joburg's CBD in a clean-up operation of the city's streets last month. Picture: Adrian de Kock

Published Dec 4, 2013

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Johannesburg - The Constitutional Court will hear an application on Thursday for hawkers to be allowed to resume trading in the city centre.

Michal Johnson, pro bono attorney for the SA National Traders and Retail Alliance (Santra), said in a statement the matter was expected to be heard at 9am.

Last Wednesday, the High Court in Johannesburg ruled that the application by the traders, represented by Santra and the SA Informal Traders' Forum (SAITF), to return to their trading spots was not urgent.

The hawkers had asked the high court to order the City of Johannesburg to allow them to return to the pavements of the inner city to trade.

They were removed to allow the city to verify how many informal traders were operating in the CBD, but were not permitted to return.

Johnson said Santra was seeking leave to appeal the high court ruling as well as reasons for the ruling.

Santra and the SAITF approached the Constitutional Court to seek an interdict for the hawkers to return to the sites where they previously traded.

Johnson said on Wednesday afternoon the city had not filed a reply to Santra’s application.

Sapa

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