MAYORAL EXECUTIVE SCOUTS FOR TRADING AREAS FOR VENDORS AND TAXI OPERATORS IN THE PRETORIA CBD

By Cllr Nasiphi Moya

Executive Mayor of Tshwane

On Friday, 31 January 2025, the mayoral executive conducted an oversight walkabout in the Pretoria CBD with the purpose of finding trading and holding facilities for vendors and taxi operators.

For years, residents and commuters have bemoaned the congestion in the Pretoria CBD.

A resident who uses a wheelchair expressed his concern to me about his inability to use city sidewalks.

Our pavements and sidewalks have been overtaken by the mushrooming of illegal informal traders who are determined to open up shop anywhere in the city. We have dedicated trading areas, but we believe that we could provide more spaces.

In addition to informal traders, various streets in the Pretoria CBD experience higher-thanusual traffic jams, including the streets surrounding Tshwane House and Sammy Marks Square.

We need additional holding spaces for taxi operators so that they are able to park their vehicles while they wait for commuters.

The walk-about included teams from the City of Tshwane Economic Development and Spatial Planning Department and the Roads and Transport Department.

We visited various hotspots in Marabastad, Lilian Ngoyi Street and Madiba Street.

This scouting expedition for inner city space was conducted after extensive meetings with informal traders and taxi operators.

The City supports economic activity from all sectors and our efforts to search for vendor trading and taxi holding spaces are not intended to destroy the livelihoods of residents who depend on these sectors to earn an income.

We are determined to Reclaim Our City.

We want to ensure that when we go back into discussions with taxi and vendor stakeholders, we will be well prepared to give them answers.