The Randburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) welcomes efforts made by the City of Johannesburg, through the inner city cleanup campaign, to ensure law and order prevails in the city. We also acknowledge the impact this will have on affected informal traders but lawlessness is something we cannot promote. Johannesburg mayor has assured residents that they mainly target illegal informal traders, who block sidewalks, illegal taxi ranks and non compliant buildings. The Chamber calls on all informal traders to make use of the proper trading permit application processes to acquire valid permits and be allocated designated trading areas as required by law. We have also noted the state of cleanliness the inner city is currently displaying, a clear picture of the type of a city we would all like to live in, a city of endless economic possibilities.
The inner city cleanup campaign comes at the time when Randburg CBD is also facing similar challenges of lawlessness where informal traders can be seen obstructing pedestrian and vehicle movements. This exacerbates issues related to illegal dumping and insufficient sanitation. To minimise the impact the Randburg Chamber established the Randburg Management District, a city improvement initiative to prioritise safety and cleanliness of the area. Randburg Chamber CEO Richard Ntjana says the Chamber acknowledges the economic role informal traders play in the city, but compliance is essential to build a sustainable business environment. “While we sympathise with the informal traders, the rules of trade must be followed so we maintain law and order and cleanliness of the area to attract tourism and investment”. Ntjana further explained the need to keep Randburg clean. “Randburg CBD has been experiencing the same and the place has deteriorated for some time. It’s time to bring law and order. People must obey bylaws laws and trade in demarcated trade areas and keep their place of trade clean and attractive to their customers. A clean and flourishing business area attracts investors from all across, it is for this reason we are obliged to make Randburg a conducive place to do business”.
The City of Johannesburg has for years experienced a decline in investment due to internal factors such as crumbling infrastructure, mismanagement and law and order violations. If such problems are not properly addressed the worst might happen in the coming years. It is for this reason the Chamber encourages the City of Johannesburg to not only enforce such operations but ensure that there are systems put in place to ensure a permanent existence. As the most populous city in the country, Johannesburg requires permanent and sustainable law enforcement strategies to safeguard the city’s residents, business and the economy.
Meanwhile, the City of Johannesburg Mayor, together with MMC for economic development Nomoya Mnisi, will this morning hand over the first informal traders permits in the form of smart cards to traders operating in the inner city. The event is expected to place at 10h00 at the Noord Street market.