Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero says the city is still working through a large backlog of applications from informal traders hoping to operate legally in the inner city, as officials try to stabilise a sector long affected by disputes over permits, enforcement and overcrowding.
Speaking during a media briefing in Johannesburg Morero revealed that around 2,000 new informal traders have recently applied for trading permits in the CBD. The high number of applications reflects growing pressure on economic opportunities in the city, where thousands rely on informal trading for survival amid high unemployment.
The City of Johannesburg has for years struggled to properly regulate the sector. A series of court cases, allegations of corruption in permit allocation, and inconsistent enforcement have fuelled tensions between traders and city officials. Before the recent court battle, in 2013, the city was even taken to court after a controversial clean-up campaign that removed traders from the CBD, resulting in the courts setting strict conditions for how the city must handle trader verification and regulation.
Morero confirmed that progress has been slow in verifying traders who were previously approved through a court-supervised process.
Of the 500 traders who were part of the court-sanctioned list, only 161 have so far been cleared to trade after the city completed its verification checks. The remaining applications are still subject to documentation checks and identity confirmation, which the city says must be done carefully to prevent fraud.
“161 have now been verified, cleared, we are now issuing smart cards today to 44 of the 161 the rest will issued by Friday and they will be allocated their stalls,” he said.
The smart-card system forms part of a broader effort to modernise the city’s management of trading spaces, prevent duplication of permits and curb fraudulent or expired documents that have contributed to overcrowding on pavements.
He also revealed that officials had discovered 13 applications belonging to traders who have since passed away, which the city is still working to verify and close off. These cases form part of the administrative backlog the city must resolve as it updates its database.
“The stall might be owned by someone who has long passed on, and family member or a child might want to continue with the stand. We are verifying that.”
The court had given the City of Johannesburg until Tuesday to complete the verification process and ensure that only legitimate, lawfully approved traders operate in designated areas of the CBD. Failure to comply could expose the city to further legal disputes.
City officials say further updates will be provided as the permitting and verification process continues and more traders are cleared to return to their trading spots.
