The City of Johannesburg can confirm that it has received an application for interdict from the attorneys representing the informal trading sector against the removal of traders from the City’s street as part of operation “Clean Sweep”.
Since this issue is now before the court, the City of Johannesburg cannot comment because the matter is sub judice.
However, the City wishes to emphasize that “Operation Clean Sweep is a strategic intervention vehicle which seeks to tackle service delivery challenges in the Inner City. It plays a supporting role to other citywide programmes like Integrated Service Delivery progamme, Ward Based Planning and the Joburg Ten Plus where the Joburg Metro Police are concentrating on crime prevention, traffic policing as well as by-laws compliance in the each ward.
Furthermore, the City of Johannesburg reiterates the fact that it acknowledges the relevance and contribution of informal trading to the economic and social life of the City. Informal Trading provides income to those unemployed also represent an alternative to established traditional formal sector retail.
The City’s is currently reviewing Informal Trading in the Inner City to ensure that pavements and pedestrian walkway mobility is addressed and balanced in line with the Joburg 2040 strategy.
The City’s objective is to ensure that trading is organised and orderly, thereby ensuring that both formal and informal trading including pedestrians utilise walkways effectively as well as facilitate the reduction of crime in the Inner City. The City has developed Inner City Road Map that will address infrastructure needs in the Inner City e,g Linear markets, Public Open Spaces etc.