TABLE OF CONTENT - Emfuleni Local Municipality

Some of the initiatives that LED Departments has embarked upon to try to address some
of the above-mentioned challenges include:
• The development of a comprehensive and user-friendly waiting list template for new
applicants.
• Identify and demarcate new stands to be allocated to applicants in the waiting list.
• Develop and regularly update Data- base of informal traders that will contain
information about the type of goods and/ or services that they offer, their demarcated
stands as well as their locations. This will assist council to identify criminals who
sometimes hide behind informal trading.
• Establishment of Informal trading committees in all areas where informal trading
operates. Whereas, this might be a challenge to achieve in the short to medium term,
in the long run the benefits will be huge for council in terms of proper management of
this sector and its growth.
• Removal of illegal traders
• Identification of a special place for traders (mostly women) who are running “minisalons
in the CBD’s.
4.1.3.11 Challenges for informal trading
• There is a need to provide training to informal traders to enable them to manage their
businesses properly and to grow their businesses. This training will also have to
continually include training on municipal By-laws.
• Storage facilities (Stalls must be erected) for the hawkers to store their goods after
their trading hours
• Ablution facilities are required because the public toilets that are used are not
properly managed and are inadequate because of the growing numbers of the
hawkers in the Vanderbijlpark CBD.
• A smart card system to be introduced to outsmart the current permit system usage. A
user-friendly smart –card system will enable informal traders to pay their rentals at
the banks even during Saturdays so that they do not have to wait for office hours
before they pay for their rentals.
• Declare informal trading sections in the townships as business centers and provision
of basic municipal services in and around those areas.
4.1.3.12 Business development, retention and growth
Business retention and expansion is a municipal-based economic development strategy
with a focus on “taking care of, nurturing and supporting” businesses already existing in
the municipality. Business Retention, growth and expansion works to improve the
competitiveness of local businesses by identifying and addressing their needs and
concerns and building on business development opportunities. This is crucial to the
sustained viability of communities since businesses that stay competitive are more likely
to remain and expand in the community.
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