The City of Johannesburg has expressed alarm over the reluctance of informal traders to verify their trading permits, as part of an ongoing drive triggered by a recent court ruling on illegal trading in the inner city.
Acting Mayor Eunice Mgcina addressed journalists on Thursday, revealing that despite repeated calls for traders to come forward with their documents, participation has fallen far short of expectations.
“Several traders listed by the court for verification have not yet presented themselves to city officials,” Mgcina stated. “We are worried about the turnout; they are not coming as we expected.”
According to the court’s directive, 525 informal traders were required to register for the verification process. However, progress has been sluggish.
Acting Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Economic Development, Mlungisi Mabaso, highlighted the particularly low response in areas like De Villiers Street, where many traders may lack proper documentation or legal status in the country.
“The response has been very low – we are currently sitting at 71 verified traders,” Mabaso noted. “This shows that a majority of those on the list could be undocumented foreign nationals. We have a migration desk to help verify the identification of those on the list.”
City officials continue to encourage all listed traders to comply promptly to avoid further enforcement actions, emphasizing the importance of formalizing operations in line with the court’s order.
