Thugs give informal traders a bad name

Street hawkers, or informal traders, who make a living by selling fruits and vegetables have again come under scrutiny. This time, over where they source their produce.

Farmers in various parts of the country agree that the produce sold by some of the traders found on our streets is often stolen in the middle of the night from nearby farms. What is more concerning is that there seems to be a trend of criminals posing as street sellers with the intention to harm anyone who stops to buy something.

CEO of Algina Wholesale Nursery in the Western Cape, Eugene Simmons, called her nursery a hotspot for seedling theft. She told Food For Mzansi that she has had to throw away a large number of seedlings because of the damage to property that has happened during the theft.

‘Why am I doing this?’

“When this happens, it makes me feel so despondent. It makes me question myself saying ‘why are you doing this?’, because I am trying to create jobs and seedlings for our farmers to produce food for the country,” she explained. “And it even gets to a point where I feel so angry, I want to grab someone and hurt them.”

Simmons explained that she is planning on requesting funding from the government to pay for a private security company to help strengthen the security of the nursery. She also plans to build higher walls, which will defy the horticulture atmosphere of the farm, but she feels it is needed to protect her seedlings from thieves.

‘I do honest business’  

Street trader Bab’ Rambo Xaba from eBhekuzulu New Location in Vryheid, said in his more than 10 years of selling on the streets, he has never stolen from anyone.

Xaba trades with fruits and vegetables and said that rising food prices, his greatest challenge, is cutting into the little profit he makes selling produce on the streets.

“I started selling vegetables and fruits because back in the day, I noticed that they were not available to the community. We had different shops that sell everything, but no one sold vegetables and fruits. These were the very first markets,” explained Xaba.

However, due to the lack of nearby farms and gardens in his area, Xaba has no choice but to travel long distances to buy produce. At times, he has found himself buying from slightly more costly markets like Shoprite and Pick n Pay.

“I go around and scout for places with affordable prices and those that have the quality that I approve of. Unfortunately, we do not have farms nearby that can give us cheaper prices. So, I don’t have a choice but to go to town and then stock from there.”

Leader of the One Voice for all Hawkers Association, Julekha Latib, confirmed that most traders stock up from nearby markets such as City Deep Market.

“These marketplaces are closer to them. They also have transport like bakkies, or they are able to get someone to assist them with buying in bulk. In other areas traders buy from farms,” she said.

“According to my knowledge, I have not heard that traders actually steal from farms.”

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Are SA laws hostile towards informal traders?

According to Latib, the real problem is that South African laws do not favour informal traders, especially those who sell on the streets of Mzansi.

He told Food For Mzansi problems such as country bylaws are a hindering force for informal traders.

“The problem is the bylaws and there are always issues with business owners. You find that some of the leaders of the organisations take money from these poor traders and expect them to pay,” said Latib.

These bylaws are regulations that are set up by municipalities and vary from each city. They usually outline rules for where and when street trading is allowed, as well as the types of goods that can be sold.

Not an easy route

Some municipalities also require permits or licenses for trading.

“There is a lot of harassment. When we confront the situation, we always manage to diffuse it with the police,” she said. “We try our best to assist them however we can. We even go to the city and speak on behalf of them, and we have managed to help them.”

Latib said what informal traders really want to achieve is put food on the table. Although their intentions are good, it has not really been easy for them. 

“They are also trying to put food on the table, especially now post-Covid and a lot of them have lost their jobs, also because [trading in] the informal sector is [becoming difficult], explained Latib.

ALSO READ: Hawkers are vital for potato farmers and consumers

Street sellers stocking up on produce

This rings especially true for Xaba who said that when times were slightly easier, he had fewer challenges and could afford to stock up on most of the produce he sells. Xaba even made a profit.

However, with food prices constantly on the rise, Xaba admits that it has been a while since he has seen any profit from selling fruit and vegetables.

“Prices have risen so high; they are just terrible. A bag of potatoes now costs about R90. A box of bananas now costs me R150 and a box of apples R130. Onion [prices have increased] and a bag [costs] R100,” Xaba said.

Pumpkins and butternuts have varying prices, he added.  

Profits under threat

“At other times I don’t really make profit because I’ve used a lot of money just to stock up, so the profit is less.”

He explained that the primary producer is mainly the farmer who sells to the secondary producer, which are the markets in town. The markets in town then sell to him and by the time the produce reaches him; the prices are rather steep, Xaba complained.

“If you’re the third person in the selling process it gets a bit tricky. The prices by then are high.”

Xaba, however, hopes that things will improve soon. His wish is for his community to have a nearby primary source which he can buy his stock from. “It would make matters much better.”  

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