The Makhado Municipality says that hawkers who continue operating businesses in Burger Street are on the wrong side of the law.

The spokesperson for the municipality, Mr Louis Bobodi, told Limpopo Mirror on Monday that the hawkers were told to relocate, because Burger Street remained a prohibited area for hawking. “All hawkers conducting business in this area are doing so illegally and they are all aware of this,” Bobodi said. “This is in terms of the permits issued by the municipality that are in their possession.”

Bobodi stressed that no permit was issued authorizing any person to conduct a business in Burger Street. According to him, the hawkers had been conducting business in that area for the past ten years.

“There was no dedicated officer to enforce the prohibition [then],” he explained. “Mr TE Netshiavha has since been dedicated to control hawkers in town and elsewhere within the municipal area for the purpose of enforcement of Council by-laws.”

The hawkers are, however, worried about the municipality's response because the municipality is only starting to 'enforce the Council by-law' now. “They are speaking of 10 years of ignoring their own by-law,” says Emmanuel Muleya (29). “Where were they all along and what were they up to?”

Muleya says that it is a bad idea or plan for the municipality to tell hawkers to relocate to Eltivillas since business there had dried up in the mid-1990s. “Our municipality should speak about finding ways to provide us with jobs rather than saying impracticable things,” he said. “My children need to eat and go to school. If the municipality does not provide me with a decent job, I am still going to operate my business on this spot until the hair on my head turn grey.”

Ms Florah Manenzhe (56), who has been a hawker for the past 21 years, says that hawkers are prepared to have a meeting with the municipality, where both parties might try to reach a mutual understanding.

“The streets of this town are always dirty because there are not enough cleaners,” she said. “The municipality must also consider adding us to the team that cleans the streets. Telling us about going to conduct business in Eltivillas is like pushing us into a dark, bottomless pit where hope doesn't exist.”