Street trading in Cape Town CBD : a study of the relationship between local government and street traders

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) states that local governments are responsible for the creation of a socioeconomic environment that enables citizens to make a living for themselves. It is on the grounds of this responsibility that the study is based on the relationship between street traders and the City of Cape Town within the Cape Town CBD. This relationship is investigated with the aim of assessing what the nature of the relationship is between street traders and the City of Cape Town. A survey was conducted wherein 71 street traders were interviewed and to complement the survey interviews were conducted with individuals from local government and the private sector who deal with street traders on a daily basis. The survey results indicated that there is a positive relationship between traders and the City of Cape Town, but that local government does not live up to expectation when it comes to the facilitation of informal business development. At the hand off these findings; policy interventions are put forth that would lead to the creation of a facilitative relationship between the City of Cape Town and street traders. Proposed policy interventions are focussed on the improvement of channels of communication between street traders and local government. The proposed policy framework places emphasis on the active participation of local government in the formalisation process of informal traders. The study concludes by proposing policy intervention that would promote a facilitative relationship between street traders and local government and contribute to a sustainable street trading economy in Cape Town.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University