The City of Johannesburg’s MMC for Public Safety, Councillor Dr Mgcini Tshwaku, acknowledges the ruling handed down by Judge Brad Wanless regarding the City’s management of informal trading. The judgment compels the city to undertake a swift, transparent, and lawful process to audit, register, and allocate trading spaces to informal traders, in full compliance with municipal by-laws and national legislation.

The court emphasised the principles of fairness, non-discrimination, and constitutional compliance in the implementation of this process. MMC Tshwaku reaffirms the department’s unwavering support for street traders while underscoring the imperative of maintaining law and order. “De Villiers Street had become a disaster waiting to happen due to uncontrollable crowds, escalating crime rates, litter accumulation, and the presence of undocumented foreigners posing a clear security risk,” said MMC Dr Tshwaku.