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Local Area Economic Development 
| Informal Trading |

The Local Area Economic Development Branch aims to make it easier for people and communities to access business, income and job opportunities.

It does so by:
  • Providing policies, strategies, programmes and projects to grow the second economy (such as improving the environment in which local markets and informal trading operate)
  • Assisting and guiding the City in ways to address poverty and inequality
  • Ensuring that people know about all the resources, policies and instruments provided by national, provincial, and local government
  • Helping to identify and implement ward-funded projects
Loca Economic Development Framework
Government's policy tool, including policy guidelines and strategies for Local Economic Development (LED) is the overarching LED framework (PDF, 382kb) which serves to guide municipalities in stimulating municipal business areas. Its objective is to place LED within the national context (creating synergy with Asgi-SA and the Provincial Growth and Development Strategies (PGDS).

Local Economic Development is one of the five Key Performance Areas (KPAs) for municipalities, and is central in creating an environment for growth, and to increase capacity and employment opportunities in their localities.

Please click here to view/download the LED Toolkit (PDF, 2.23Mb)
 
Local Area Economic Development Areas
The city of Cape Town is divided into six Local Area Economic Development (LAED) areas, according to the dominant economic sector or economic need. In this way, LAED interventions are able to have a bigger impact.

These six areas are:
  • Central District
  • East District
  • North District
  • South District
  • South-East District
  • South-West District
LAED areas are further divided into municipal wards. The ward profiles in the table below give detailed socio-economic information about each ward, which assists councillors and development workers to identify LED needs and opportunities to work together with nearby wards or subcouncils.
Please click here to view/download the LED area map (PDF, 238kb).

Ward 1

Ward 2

Ward 3

Ward 4

Ward 5

Ward 6

Ward 7

Ward 8

Ward 9

Ward 10

Ward 11

Ward 12

Ward 13

Ward 14

Ward 15

Ward 16

Ward 17

Ward 18

Ward 19

Ward 20

Ward 21

Ward 22

Ward 23

Ward 24

Ward 25

Ward 26

Ward 27

Ward 28

Ward 29

Ward 30

Ward 31

Ward 32

Ward 33

Ward 34

Ward 35

Ward 36

Ward 37

Ward 38

Ward 39

Ward 40

Ward 41

Ward 42

Ward 43

Ward 44

Ward 45

Ward 46

Ward 47

Ward 48

Ward 49

Ward 50

Ward 51

Ward 52

Ward 53

Ward 54

Ward 55

Ward 56

Ward 57

Ward 58

Ward 59

Ward 60

Ward 61

Ward 62

Ward 63

Ward 64

Ward 65

Ward 66

Ward 67

Ward 68

Ward 69

Ward 70

Ward 71

Ward 72

Ward 73

Ward 74

Ward 75

Ward 76

Ward 77

Ward 78

Ward 79

Ward 80

Ward 81

Ward 82

Ward 83

Ward 84

Ward 85

Ward 86

Ward 87

Ward 88

Ward 89

Ward 90

Ward 91

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Ward 93

Ward 94

Ward 95

Ward 96

Ward 97

Ward 98

Ward 99

Ward 100

Ward 101

Ward 102

Ward 103

Ward 104

Ward 105

 

 

 


Informal trading

The informal sector is an important part of Cape Town’s economy, and produces about 12% of its economic output in. It also employs 18% of people who economically active. The LAED Branch has assisted this sector through, for example, a city-wide informal trading policy, which spells out where trading should and should not take place, the types of trading that can be promoted, suitable operating hours and the obligations and responsibilities of stakeholders.

Trading areas are continually being demarcated to ensure that informal traders have security of tenure, and that public spaces are well managed.

Informal trading markets have been built in Nyanga, Guguletu, Philippi, Ntlangano, iSithandathu, Hanover Park and Lentegeur, and the LAED branch has established a framework to manage these markets.

How to apply for an informal trading permit
If you would like to trade at one of the City’s informal trading markets, you need to apply for an informal trading permit.

A permit will be granted depending on a number of criteria. For example, only bona fide informal traders will be eligible (in other words, you may not already have a “real” shop elsewhere); traders who operate for at least 45 weeks of the year will get preference over casual traders, and unemployed people will get first preference.

For more information, download the City’s Informal Trading Policy and Management Framework or the application for an informal trading permit (PDF, 29kb).

For the application to occupy a temporary site for the traders affected at the Green Point informal trading market site, complete the temporary site application form (PDF, 26k).


To send your informal trading application, please contact:
Emlyn Hammond
Tel: 021 021 400 5942 or
E-mail: Emlyn.hammond@capetown.gov.za

© City of Cape Town, 2011