Cape Town - Informal traders at the Golden Acre Shopping Centre's pedestrian bridge that connects the station deck and the mall say the place has been taken over by vagrants and criminal elements, making doing business impossible.
Angela Moyo, who has been trading on the bridge for more than two years, say the conditions have deteriorated, with more homeless people not only sleeping, but also using drugs and performing their ablutions there.
She said they are forced to first clean the place every morning before they unpack their goods.
“The situation is even worse on weekends. When we get here we have to clean bottles filled with urine, rotten food and even human waste, and there is nothing we can do.”
Moyo maintained that they constantly clean the place and that there haven't been any complaints. However law enforcement officers “come once in a while to chase us out. However we always return because we are trying to make ends meet for our families.”
Another trader who asked not to be named said the situation has escalated over the years with more people, “slowly moving in”.
“This is a tricky situation as we cannot complain to anyone because we are also illegally trading at this place with no permits. He said the door at the entrance of the bridge was broken down, allowing for anyone to sleep (there).”
A passer-by who uses the bridge every day said crossing has become a nightmare, especially during peak hours.
“The stampede here after work hours is unbearable. These hawkers have taken up almost all the space, only allowing for a limited walking space,” he said.
Upon enquiring, the mall management said the bridge was the City’s property.
Mayoral committee member for urban management Grant Twigg confirmed that the pedestrian bridge infrastructure belonged to the City.
He said the City had received complaints about the litter as well as informal trading and homeless people living on the bridge, adding that the bridge was monitored on a regular basis. “Informal trading in the Cape Town CBD is governed by an informal trading plan, which states that no informal trading may take place unless the trader is in a designated informal trading bay and the trader is in possession of a valid permit.”
However, when asked on why the bridge was not locked, Twigg referred the question to the roads department, which by the time of going to print had not responded.
@Mtuzeli