Seventy-three new informal trading sites will be established and 180 trading sites will have to be removed in the Town Centre, for various reasons, among them the accommodation of the new bus station for the CBD upgrade, and to address sites that are causing pedestrian obstructions.
The City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee yesterday, Tuesday February 21, recommended that the council approve proposed amendments to the existing informal trading plan for the Town Centre and surrounding areas.
There are 1 107 trading sites located within Wards 78 and 79, which form part of Sub-council 12.
Several informal trading sites have to be moved away from the bus terminus to accommodate the MyCiTi bus station roll-out plan.
If the amendments are approved by council, it will allow for the establishment of new informal trading sites, the repositioning of some trading sites and the removal of others to accommodate the upgrades.
Eddie Andrews, councillor for Ward 78 and mayoral committee member for Area South, said: “We acknowledge the valuable contribution of the informal trading sector to the economic and social life of the city.”
He said the purpose of any informal trading plan is to create an enabling and well-managed environment for informal traders to operate and develop their businesses in a sustainable manner as informal trading provides an income to residents who are unemployed.
The City embarked on an extensive public participation process with a number of internal and external stakeholders and, said Mr Andrews, all interested and affected parties were given the opportunity to provide their comments and feedback on the proposed amendments to the informal trading plan.
In addition, an open day was held with City officials, for all stakeholders to view the proposed plan and have their questions answered before they commented further.
“It is important for us to do all we can to balance the needs of residents and the formal retail sector with the need for economic development as we continue to create economic opportunities for our residents.
“Not only does this sector provide the unemployed with opportunities to generate an income, in many instances it is the only source of income for poorer families,” he said.