Members of LACO and Operation Dudula demonstrate in Cape Town, calling for greater access to informal trading opportunities for South Africans and increased transparency in the allocation of trading permits.
The City of Cape Town says it cannot immediately provide a breakdown of how many informal trading permits are held by South African citizens and foreign nationals, as protests calling for greater access to trading opportunities for locals continue across the city.
The response comes after a series of pickets and demonstrations led by the Labour and Civic Organisation (LACO) and Operation Dudula in recent weeks. The groups have marched to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) offices and Parliament, calling for more informal trading opportunities for South Africans and greater transparency over how trading permits are allocated in parts of Cape Town.
Among their demands, the groups have proposed that informal trading opportunities should be allocated on an 80% South African and 20% foreign national basis, arguing that more trading spaces should be made available to unemployed South Africans, particularly young people seeking to start small businesses. They have also questioned how permits are allocated in some of the city's busiest trading areas.
