THOHOYANDOU – A police team in Thohoyandou is enforcing court orders upon hawkers around the Thohoyandou Central Business District (CBD).

The sheriff of the court gave the police court orders to remove the hawkers in front of the premises of the Northern Province Development Corporation (NPDC), as the owners of the different shops under NPDC complained that the hawkers are barricading their customer's path.

According to the spokesperson of the Thohoyandou police Insp Tshino Ramadolela in the past, several negotiations between the hawkers and delegates of NPDC took place, but there was no agreement reached during such meetings. The NPDC then decided to take the matter to the Thohoyandou Magistrate's court, to deal with the dispute between them and the hawkers.

Ramadolela confirmed that immediately after receiving the court orders, the police rushed to the Thohoyandou CBD to remove all the hawkers in front of the shops. "During our operation to clean up the town, no goods or materials were confiscated or damaged and two people were arrested for insulting the police. We are still patrolling the Thohoyandou CBD around the clock, but if the hawkers ignore the court order, we will arrest them without hesitation."

According to the chairman of the Thohoyandou hawkers, Mr Thomas Singo all hawkers were not aware of the eviction of hawkers from NPDC premises, "and even the municipality knew nothing about these developments when we questioned them."

When going to press, the hawkers and NPDC were still locked in negotiations.