Informal Trading Plan – Khayelitsha

Good day,

Residents, taxpayers, and ratepayers of Khayelitsha have a legitimate interest in seeing the proposed informal trading plan in its entirety. The plan will impact the community as a whole, and transparency on its full implementation is essential.

The situation in Mitchells Plain Town Centre (MPTC), literally down the road from Khayelitsha, demonstrates the extreme challenges of informal trading in urban centres. Attached you will find images of MPTC: overrun by drug users and sellers, illegal traders, vagrants, and rough sleepers, with filth dumped daily. Bricks are stolen one by one, and infrastructure is damaged relentlessly. Without strict enforcement, these issues persist, and a similar outcome could occur in Khayelitsha. The principle is clear: fix one area properly before moving to the next.

Key points requiring clarity include:

• Management and Enforcement: Which City departments will be responsible for managing traders on a day-to-day basis? Who will ensure compliance with licenses, permits, and trading rules?
• Security and Oversight: How will illegal trading, vagrancy, and other disruptive activities be prevented? Which department or authority is responsible for enforcement on-site?
• Permit Issuance and Renewal: What systems will be in place to reliably confirm, track, and renew trader permits?
• Rules and Regulations: What are the specific trading rules, and how will they be communicated to traders and the public?

Residents need to see a working, practical example of how these mechanisms operate, potentially in MPTC, before the plan is applied to Khayelitsha. The plan must cover the entire process from beginning to end, leaving no loopholes, and demonstrating clear control over the traders and the surrounding environment.

The community requires full transparency and accountability to ensure that the plan serves public interest, not just the interests of a few traders.