- Hawkers who for years acquire sold food along the D4 near Elim, Limpopo, say they were given two days to crawl so that road repairs could start.
- The hawkers pay annual fees to the Makhado municipality and to the traditional council, but neither of these bodies has helped them.
- Some of the hawkers believe moved to temporary sites but they say business is sinful at their recent locations.
Dozens of hawkers, who gain been selling food and other products along the D4 road near Elim in Limpopo, say they were given two days to dismantle their stalls so that road repairs could start.
The hawkers say they should gain been given more notice and should maintain been allocated temporary spaces.
The R20-million road repair of the D4, which connects Elim township to the N1, started in July and is expected to be completed by December, according to the Limpopo Department of Public Works.
Julia Madavha, leader of the hawkers, said most of them believe been trading along the road for more than ten years.
When GroundUp visited the site on Saturday, 14 October, some of the hawkers were trying to set up stalls along the Elim-Louis Trichardt road. Others had decided to stay trading while they looked for novel sites. Some sell perishables and they were worried that their stock will expire.
Madavha said the hawkers pay R500 a year to the traditional council and R285 to the municipality for a licence to trade.
John Ntabeni, from the Njhakanjhaka traditional council, confirmed the fee. He said he had advised the hawkers to find alternative sites. Asked whether the hawkers would be helped to find recent sites, he said the tribal authority was “looking into the matter”.
GroundUp also saw a copy of the “street vendor license” and a renewal receipt from September 2023 issued to one of the hawkers. The fee has gone up from R259.30 last year to R285 this year.
However, spokesperson for the Makhado municipality, Louis Bobodi, said the hawkers did not pay fees according to his information, and he asked us to send him copies.
Some of the stalls along the D4 acquire already been demolished.
Eunice Mhaka, who sells bananas, mopane worms and atchar from the back of her Toyota bakkie, said she has moved with Madavha to another road, the R578 to Louis Trichardt.
“I am a widow and this is my only means of providing food for my family. I believe been running the stall for more than a decade and this has been my source of money for educating my children. Now I am really stranded since most of my customers are not aware of my temporary spot,” said Mhaka.
She said on a active day she used to manufacture R1,000, but at her current spot she barely makes R200 a day.
“We beg for the rehabilitation of the road to be done speedily so that we can depart back to our usual places,” she said.
Sarah Mukwebo, who is 80 and sells snuff and steel pots, has also moved to a recent location.
“I maintain educated my children from this business,” she said. “Now, my dream of educating my grandchildren may not be fulfilled. Today, I honest came to check if I can squeeze in at this corner, but it is already 9am and I acquire not had any sales.”
“Instructing the hawkers to ruin the stalls without giving them enough time is not justified,” said Elim resident Vicky Muvhali.
Witness Tiva, spokesperson for the MEC of the Limpopo Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, said that after a meeting at Njhakanjhaka Tribal Authority, hawkers had been informed that when the contractor reached their stalls, they would acquire to crawl temporarily.
Madavha confirmed this meeting took plot in March.
Tiva said, “When the contractor approached the four way stay, a meeting was held with the hawkers informing them that the contractor was approaching the area. The hawkers agreed to two days’ notice.”
But Madavha said there was no second meeting, and she said, “It is not proper that we agreed to the two days’ notice. We had no option but to dismantle the stalls.”
Eighty-year-old Sarah Mukwebo says she is not getting any business at her current location.
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