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Press Statement: Durban's street wars - StreetNet International calls on  Ethekwini Metro street wars - StreetNet International calls on  Ethekwini Metro to negotiate in good faith with street vendors   

StreetNet International calls on the Durban Metropolitan Council to take the opportunity which has been offered to them by street vendors’ organisations.  A Platform of Demands was submitted to Acting Head of the Business Support Unit, Philip Sithole, at a meeting on the 4th June 2007 – but has this far been ignored, resulting in violent confrontations on the streets.  The intention of the Platform of Demands is to resolve the problems of regulation of street trade through negotiation and social dialogue, and to avoid further bloody street wars such as those which took place on the 18th and 19th June in Warwick Avenue and outside the Magistrate’s Court. 

The Siyagunda Association, Phoenix Plaza Street Traders’ Association and The Eye Traders’ Association are concerned about draconian moves against street vendors intensifying in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with disastrous consequences for the livelihoods of street vendors and their families. 

The demands of the street vendors are to:

-      put in place a transparent system of regulation which is inclusive (i.e. does not criminalise the majority of the city’s 25 000 street vendors by refusing them trading permits);

-      enforce the Recommendations of a Review of Durban’s Informal Economy Policy undertaken in 2006 (which proposes that the system of regulation must cater for all street vendors, and avoid police action except as a last resort);

-       establish an independent Commission of Enquiry into all facets of corruption around the issue of street trade permits;

-      reform the Ethekwini Informal Economy Forum (EMIEF) to function as a proper negotiation forum where all stakeholders have equal rights to advance their positions – not a one-way conveyor belt for municipal officials to issue commands and instructions to street vendors. 

The Ethekwini Metro must take full responsibility for last week’s bloody confrontations between street vendors and Metro Police. Durban has moved from setting up an international best practice by adopting a comprehensive and well-crafted Informal Economy Policy in 2001 and putting it into practice between 2001 and 2003 with an Implementation Working Group involving all stakeholders – to a pariah city with an abolitionist approach, abandoning the implementation of the Policy in 2004 and starting crackdowns against street vendors from May 2005. Very few street vendors’ permits have been granted (apparently around 6000) and regular raids have been conducted against the rest, dubbed as “illegal”. Until 2006 the Business Support Unit were willing to negotiate only with organizations representing vendors with permits – resulting in a “closed shop” situation where those with permits became collaborators in the continued marginalisation of the street vendors without permits. This opened up opportunities for abuses and corruption, which is now rife and difficult to contain.

Ironically, it is the organization favoured by the Business Support Unit (Informal Trade Management Board or ITMB – representing only vendors with permits) which has now turned violently against the Durban Metro – when officials increased their monthly levies and closed down storage facilities they were abusing by sub-letting to other vendors at extortionary rates. Indeed, the chickens have come home to roost for the Ethekwini Metropolitan Council. 

In 2006 the Durban Metro spent substantial funds on a Review of its Informal Economy Policy, and the Review produced very impressive recommendations. However, these have been ignored. Organizations representing street vendors with and without permits joined the EMIEF at the beginning of 2007, but their proposals have also been ignored.  

Unless the Durban Metro starts to negotiate in good faith with street vendors on their Platform of Demands, the war on the streets will be far from over. We urge Ethekwini to take the opportunity that they are being offered to resolve the situation. 

Issued by:

Pat Horn (Ms)

International Co-ordinator    

StreetNet International 

Tel.      031 307 4038 (StreetNet)

            031 201 3528 (home)

            076 706 5282 (cel)

e-mail:stnet@iafrica.com

2007 PLATFORM OF DEMANDS: Substantive demands to the Durban Metro

  1. Establish an independent Commission of Enquiry into all Facets of Corruption around the issue of street trade permits – Terms of Reference to be approved by street vendors and their democratically-elected representatives.
  2. Develop a data-base of all the street vendors (with and without permits) operating in different areas of Durban, in co-operation with street vendors and their democratically-elected representatives, indicating the following information:

  1. name and gender of vendor;

  2. description of type of work;

  3. area of operation;

  4. whether the vendor holds a valid permit, until what date;

  5. any special considerations which may apply.

  1. Integrate our organizations in the Ethekwini Informal Economy Forum:
  1. (EMIEF): Send us the minutes of all previous meetings;
  2. Send us a schedule of the dates of the meetings for 2007;
  3. Invite us to all meetings of the Forum.
  1. Involve street vendors and their democratically elected representatives in negotiations regarding increases of all fees (including permit fees) payable by street vendors – any unilaterally adopted in creases to be suspended until the completion of negotiations.
  2. Urgent implementation, with the full participation of street vendors and their democratically elected representatives, of the “Section 4 – Implementation Framework” of the Review of Informal Economy Policy developed by Gabhisa Planning and Investments and Urban-Econ: Development Economists in 2006.
  3. Adopt and commit to the WCCA Campaign demands of StreetNet International.

Procedural demands: Changes to the Terms of Reference of the EMIEF 

1.   The position of Chair should rotate between the different stakeholder groupings.

2.   The stakeholder groupings must always include the Metro Police.

3.   Representation by Organisation/Associations to be THREE per organization, of whom not less than one must be a woman representative.

4.   DELETE the following:“The Forum will not deal with the day to day operational issues relating to specific informal markets or street trading sites.It will not override the mandate of the existing market or street committees.”  (N.B. In August 2006 we were informed that the authority of the street committees to undertake this function for the Metro Council expired in September 2006.)

5.  Information for clarity on the number of “Trader Representatives” outside of the representation by “Legitimate Trader Organizations/Associations” and a list of their names and which areas they represent.

6.    Information for clarity on what is meant by “the Regional Trader Representatives (or Organisation/Association) should represent traders that operate their businesses according to the by-laws of the Council” – which bylaws are being referred to, and does this clause have anything to do with the holding of permits? Issued by: Siyagunda Association, The Eye Traders' Association and Phoenix Plaza Street Traders' Association.

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