Just like many cities in South Africa, eThekwini is experiencing urban decay due to migration for economic opportunities, property abandonment, service delivery and crime.
These conditions were exacerbated, in part, by the catastrophic floods in 2022 that destroyed critical infrastructure, including roads, communication and electrical systems.
To respond to the challenges of the municipality, President Cyril Ramaphosa established the eThekwini Presidential Working Group (PeWG) in April 2024.
The Working Group was established to accelerate support from national and provincial government to rebuild the municipality.
Since its establishment, the Working Group has provided support and fast-tracked efforts by the eThekwini municipality to improve service delivery, improve business confidence, and reposition eThekwini as an investment and tourism attraction.
The Working Group operates across three spheres of government and includes representatives from the private sector and labour.
Developing the informal economy
Last November, the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality announced plans to develop the informal economy sector by upgrading the infrastructure used by traders.
These projects include the R10 million upgrade of the Dalton Art and Craft Market, R15 million upgrade for the Mansel Road Market, R2.5 million upgrade for the Tongaat Trader Market, R4 million upgrade for the KwaMaKhutha Business Hive (Ward 94) and the R4.3 million upgrade for the Klaarwater Business Hive (Ward 17).
Traders at the Mansel Road Market were visited by Small Business Development Minister Stella-Ndabeni-Abrahams last year.
“The Minister handed over about 100 sewing machines, equipment for those running food handling facilities such as freezers, pots, gas stoves, and microwaves.
“This doesn’t happen anywhere on the continent where the government freely provides equipment to informal traders. This shows us that our government is taking care of us,” Chairman for Mansel Road Market Traders Mboneni Qwabe told SAnews during a visit to the site recently.
eThekwini Municipality Senior Manager for the Informal Economy, Michael Hlangu, said the Mansel Road Market was a hive of activity during weekends with customers coming from all over South Africa and other countries on the continent.
The retail market offers among others clothing, food stalls, traditional drums, bedding, and traditional attire.
About 180 traders operating at the market are expected to benefit from the refurbishment of the facility, which includes a new building with new ablution facilities, electricity, water and a parking area.
“We have 184 container traders. Some of the containers are dilapidated. We are planning to convert the containers into brick and mortar. We have appointed contractors for the project and the traders will be relocated this month to a new location so the construction of the project can commence.
“During the construction phase it is anticipated that about 100 people will benefit from job opportunities. All traders that are operating in this facility have been registered with the municipality.
“The majority of them have business licences and they renew them on an annual basis. The rental for the food section [is] R664 per month and they sign a lease agreement with the municipality. We regularly conduct training on health and safety to ensure that the vendors comply with the regulations and by-laws,” Hlangu explained.
The municipality is responsible for maintaining the facility, which includes providing security, cleaning services and electricity.
Making a difference
Qwabe said the municipality hosts business summits each year and updates traders on the work being done to uplift the informal economy.
“There is a lot of work that has been done to improve the operations of the traders. When this place was opened in 1996, there were no containers. People were selling from their cars under the carport, and this was changed to containers, but the containers have deteriorated over the years.
“The municipality has come to assist the traders as they are now building a new structure for us. We have seen the plan and it’s good. We will be able to attract tourists with the new building,” he said.
Qwabe further explained that Mansel Road Market is a hub for traditional attire.
“It’s unfortunate that tourists don’t visit this area. I don’t think that when they return to their home countries, they have enough to show that they were in South Africa.
“We are the Zulu kingdom and in the Zulu kingdom there are items that showcase the Zulu culture, and you will find them here. We have unique items that you won’t find anywhere else. We would like the market to be a tourist attraction,” Qwabe said. -SAnews.gov.za
