The City of Cape Town’s Urban Management Directorate is encouraging informal traders who do not yet feature the City’s database to do so, so they can trade legally.
Currently, informal traders registered with the City have Covid-19 lockdown permits or have concession letters and are allowed to trade.
The City has always acknowledged the relevance and contribution of informal trading to the economic and social life of Cape Town, according to Grant Twigg, Mayco Member for Urban Management.
He says while the City continues to make every effort to support this vital sector, it is also important for informal traders to comply with the informal trading by-law and other applicable laws as well as trade as per approved trading plans.
“We are responding to complaints regarding illegal trading,” Twigg explained, “and will continue to do so, and urban management compliance officers and community ambassadors are continuously checking informal trading permits and ensuring overtrading of bays are adhered to.”
Twigg appeals to illegal informal traders to comply and register with the City, as this is the most effective way of regularising illegal traders.
“I believe informal trading plays a vital role in poverty alleviation, income generation and entrepreneurial development in our communities, for it enables many households to earn a living and provide for their families,” he said. “Unemployed individuals are encouraged to apply for an informal trading permit and South African citizens will need to provide their IDs, and foreign nationals will need to provide proof of their legal status in South Africa.”
In addition, said Twigg, informal traders are advised that their lockdown trading permits obtained under Alert Level 4 and 5 are still valid for Alert Level 3.
Traders with these permits, but who have not yet registered with the City’s e-Services Portal/Database, are encouraged to do so and ensure they are able to continue earning a living within the confines of the law once the national lockdown is lifted.
The city official points out that it is quite easy to apply for an informal trading permit, by simply completing the online application on the City’s e-Services website.
Please follow these simple steps:
1. Register for the City of Cape Town’s e-Services
2. Activate the informal trading service on e-Services
3. Apply for a trading bay.
