Cape Town flower sellers are up in arms. This comes, as the City of Cape Town has called for comment on the proposed informal trading plan for the Trafalgar Flower Seller Market on Adderley Street.

Cape Town flower sellers are up in arms

According to the City’s website, they manage informal trading in Cape Town. The Informal Trading By-law assists them to declare an informal trading plan for any place or area within their control. The plan identifies dedicated, restricted or prohibited areas for informal trading in that place or area.

Trafalgar Flower Seller Market

City Officials are now in the process of developing the informal trading plan for the Trafalgar Flower Seller Market. The Market is in Sub-council 16, Ward 115). Members of the public have now been called upon, to share their opinions about the plan.

At this stage, informal trading in the Trafalgar Flower Market is currently not governed by an Informal Trading Plan. The City has therefore identified a need to develop a trading plan for the area. This will help them to better manage and regulate the informal trading in the flower market.

Flower Seller petition doing the rounds

Meanwhile, a petition is currently doing the rounds where the petitioners are formally objecting to the introduction of a permit-based system for flower sellers at the Trafalgar Flower Market. According to the petition, families have traded flowers at this market, for generations. It reads that many traders are second, third-, and even fourth-generation flower sellers whose families have built their livelihoods here.

The group says with the City wanting to introduce a monthly permit-based system, they will plan to charge people for trading there – something that has never been done before. They claim that this will push traders out because they won’t be able to pay the monthly permit fee.

MORE ABOUT: The Petition

Reaching out to the City of Cape Town

We call on the City of Cape Town to:
• Reject the introduction of permit-based trading for this market.
• Recognize and protect customary and historical trading rights.
• Guarantee security of tenure for existing traders without revocable permits.
• Engage in meaningful consultation with affected traders and families.

MORE ABOUT: City comment needed

Public comment sought

Approval from Council is required as part of the process before any area can be defined as an informal trading plan area. In terms of section 17 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000, you can submit comments to the municipality in respect of the draft informal trading plan.