- Hawkers in Tzaneen without trading papers say the municipality takes their stock until they pay a fine, and they want the next council to listen to them after the 4 November elections.
- ActionSA says it will fight for hawkers and has found municipal land for flea markets, while the municipality says there are more than 200 hawkers in the town centre but fewer than 100 are legal.
Hawkers in Tzaneen want the next council to stop taking their stock, and one party says it will fight for them.
Thandi Mohale, a mother of three who sells fruit and vegetables, said the municipality took her stock because she has no trading papers. She keeps going back to the same spot because it is her only income, and if she does not sell, her family goes hungry.
Mohale said she expects the next council and mayor to take hawkers seriously after 4 November. She said there are not enough jobs, and the municipality cannot take away her business when she is only trying to feed her family.
Peter Mhlongo, a father of four, sells phone screen protectors, chargers and pouches. He said he hopes the new council will stand up for hawkers instead of fighting people who make an honest living. He said hawkers steal from no one but are treated like criminals.
The Greater Tzaneen Municipality said it has fewer than 100 legal hawkers, running businesses such as hair salons, fruit and vegetable stalls and phone screen repairs. But spokesperson Vutivi Makhubele said more than 200 hawkers sell in the town centre, making it crowded and dirty.
She said the municipality and law enforcement officers repeatedly remove hawkers and take their stock until they pay a fine.
ActionSA mayoral candidate Dr Mikia Ramothwala, a former ANC member, said his party will fight for hawkers who are removed from their trading spots. He said ActionSA has found municipal land in the town centre between Boxer and NTK where hawkers can run flea markets and trade freely.
Ramothwala said the party wants to help mothers and fathers earn an income and add to the local economy, like the flea markets in Cape Town and other municipalities.
Two months ago, ActionSA and the EFF protested at the municipality and demanded that hawkers be allowed to keep selling. Hawkers are now back on the streets, but it is not clear if officers will remove them again after the elections.
ActionSA, the EFF, the DA and Mayibuye iAfrica are campaigning door to door in the municipality. Parties have promised jobs for young people, no cadre employment in the municipality and opportunities for people over 35. They have also promised that poor households will not pay for electricity.
