City upgrades 53 informal trading bays in Delft
10 February 2021
In a move to enhance small business activity in Delft, the City has an approved Informal Trading Plan for the area which in the coming weeks will see 53 informal traders doing business from upgraded trading bays on the corner of Delft Main Road and Sandelhout Street.
Soon 53 informal traders in Delft will be doing business from a newly upgraded trading area, in line with the informal trading plan that was approved by the City of Cape Town in 2019.
The construction on site started in January and is scheduled to be completed by 19 February 2021. Trading bays will also be demarcated and concrete numbering will be installed at each bay.
‘The proposal to develop this plan for the area allows informal trading to be well managed and to create an improved public space for all users, where informal traders can have security of tenure and access to basic services. The City is striving to create an enabling and supportive environment for informal traders to operate their businesses in a manner that ensures consistency, self-sustainability and a positive relationship with the formal sector and community,’ said Alderman Grant Twigg, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Management.
The informal traders are currently trading from a nearby site, while construction is under way. Once the hard surfacing, demarcation and numbering of trading bays are completed, traders will be allocated their trading bays, which are in an economically viable area for informal trading activities.
Small businesses that have been trading in the area will be accommodated in the plan and prospective traders will be encouraged to apply for informal trading bays on the City of Cape Town’s e-service portal by completing an online application.
The construction of the trading bays has created three Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) job opportunities for residents from the area involving civil works, labour intensive work like digging, trenching and carting material as well as construction site administration.
‘The City acknowledges the relevance and contribution of informal trading to our economic and social life as it provides an income to those who are unemployed as well as affording residents an alternative to established traditional formal sector retail options.
‘It is on this premise that the City always sees fit to create a conducive business climate for informal traders so that they can operate in an economically viable environment. We will like to encourage the informal traders to continue to abide by the City’s by-laws and engage us should they have any concerns,’ said Alderman Twigg.
End Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
