A tense situation unfolded outside the Johannesburg High Court as the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) challenged the legality of City of Joburg Mayor Dada Morero’s clean-up campaign targeting the CBD. SERI alleges the campaign disrupts livelihoods and displaces the city’s poorest residents.
Morero attended the proceedings in person on Friday. Outside the court, supporters of the mayor—including groups from the ANC, Operation Dudula, and Action SA—demonstrated in favor of the clean-up. Meanwhile, a large group of African migrants staged a competing protest, with police using tape to separate the opposing groups.
Operation Dudula activist Sibongile Maseko said, “We are with the mayor on this one. He has to continue with the clean-up… You can’t leave Zimbabwe to come and sell cabbage in Joburg, you can’t leave Zimbabwe to beg for money at the robots.”
Traders, largely African migrants, accused the municipality of harassing hawkers while failing to approve permits, a claim denied by the city. MMC for Group, Corporate and Shared Services Sthembiso Zungu stated, “It is not true that we don’t approve permits; we do. We even have a gazebo permanently set up for permits, yet very few people apply.”
Zungu also expressed frustration over South Africans abandoning their stalls after receiving permits, leaving them to foreign nationals. “You hardly find any South Africans selling in the CBD. We don’t know whether the foreigners are here legally, but for us, it’s about enforcing bylaws and keeping the City clean,” he said.
Inside the court, legal teams for SERI and the city held discussions in a bid to reach an out-of-court settlement.