30 Mar 2014

Following numerous consultations with street vendors and hawkers, Palapye Sub-district council officers have finally removed shacks belonging to street vendors and hawkers.

Assistant council secretary for Palapye Administrative Authority, Mr Goloswang Ramogala said the exercise was not carried out in a vindictive manner, but was done peacefully after numerous consultations with hawkers and vendors.

He said hawkers and vendors were not supposed to erect any permanent structures in places they operated from because they had no right over that land. He described a hawker as  a person who carried on the business of selling goods from a pitch at which he stationed himself or herself in an convenient public place.

He said during consultative meetings, vendors agreed that they were contravening bye-laws by erecting permanent structures in the township

He said prior to removing the structures by council, the majority of vendors and hawkers had already removed the structures themselves. Mr Ramogala further said the council did not evict vendors as they continued doing businesses except that they were not operating from shacks. 

He said the exercise was not carried out to hurt vendors, but rather to prepare them for upcoming developments of Palapye. Mr Ramogala said Palapye was fast growing and would soon be declared a town. He said vendors should operate in a manner that would satisfy all sectors.

Mr Ramogala also raised concern that some vendors cooked food and sold it at the bus rank, saying it was contrary to the law as the food would not have been inspected.

He said some of the methods used for cooking were not environmentally friendly, but due to lack of controls from the authorities, vendors continued with the business for a long time.

He said the area used as a temporary bus rank was planned to be the township’s central business district and as such should not be degraded.

He called upon street vendors and hawkers to form an association and build a rapport with the council.

One hawker, Ms Setogelo Tsere said since the council removed her shack, doing business at the bus rank was costly because she was compelled to hire a taxi to transport her items in the morning and afternoon.

She said she earned a living through cooking and selling food at the bus rank and was able to fend for her family. Ends