Pretoria - Promises of proper infrastructure gave hope to some of Marabastad’s informal traders on Monday.
As they campaigned to bring change in the capital city, the Democratic Alliance (DA) promised better treatment for informal traders.
DA Tshwane mayoral candidate, Solly Msimanga, said informal traders had been complaining about mistreatment by metro police and bias against their businesses, and he promised that would never be the case under DA governance.
“The DA understands the importance of businesses, be it those of informal traders or not, there is no way that we can allow the metro police to harass informal traders. We actually want to clean up this place and make it more organised, so that informal traders can have proper structures where they can work around,” he said.
Msimanga said his party wanted to give people proper structures, probably containers - at least something where they can lock up their goods and keep them safe at night. “We will not charge people for the containers, but we want to give them licences.”
Msimanga said informal traders created jobs and helped fight poverty. “We know that once these people prosper, they will employ two or three more people.
“This tells us the economy of this country will not grow on the backbone of big businesses but on the backbone of all these informal traders and businesses.”
One of the informal traders who does motor trimming, Terry Tapfael, said he was tired of the mistreatment they get and wanted change. “We are going to vote for change, so we are going to vote for blue,” he said.
Thembani Mathasi, 56, a passer-by, said the government had failed the nation. “While the president is chilling’ and having a great life, we are here suffering due to nyaope. Our children are dying and the government is not doing anything about it,” she said.
DA leader, Mmusi Maimane, said he backed everything the mayoral candidate had said and added that they were also going to fight nyaope affecting people in the capital city.
“People should not forget that not only are people victims of drug abuse but also victims of unemployment.
“Our visit here at Marabastad is to show that we are the government that cares for the people and the issues they face on a daily basis,” Maimane said.
Pretoria News