Traders who previously sold their goods at the informal market in the Green Point Urban Park precinct are being given the opportunity to return.
The City plans to reinstate the market after it was closed in 2009 due to the construction of the Cape Town Stadium for the 2010 soccer World Cup.
Since then this has been a bone of contention between the City and the traders who, in 2016, marched to the Western Cape legislature
in Wale Street, calling for a return
of the old Green Point market (“Traders call for the return of Green Point market”, Atlantic Sun, July 21, 2016).
The City has now appointed an independent facilitator, Afriworld Business Solutions, to manage the engagement with all stakeholders on the processes involved in the establishment of the market.
According to an advertisement posted in the Atlantic Sun and some of its sister titles: “The City is calling upon traders who were part of the this previous market to make contact should they wish to return to the new trading space.”
A former trader at the Green Point Urban Park, Ibrahima Drame, welcomed the news. “I heard about this but I didn’t believe it. I traded in Green Point for more than 10 years until we were evicted in 2009,” he said.
Mr Drame said he used to make good money trading there every Sunday.
He said he’d definitely go back. “I don’t do much on Sundays anymore and this will help me because people always have time to go to markets on Sundays. The business was great at the old Green Point market,” he said.
The President of the South African Informal Traders Alliance (SAITA), Rosheda Muller, said this was indeed good news. Ms Muller started trading at the Green Point Urban park market in 1990. She said as a historical trader in Green Point and the chairperson of Green Point Independent Traders’ Association (GPITA) she had engaged the City every year about their possible return since 2009. “To us, this will be a beginning hopefully of new opportunities and with some new traders coming on board as well. We hope we will be able to bring back the good old days in Green Point,” said Ms Muller.
“At last we are now discussing our return and we are calling on all historical traders who had to move due to the construction of the Cape Town Stadium prior to the 2010 World Cup to take up their trading spaces once again,” she said.
She added that they were hoping that the City would help create an enabling environment for informal trade to take place and provide the necessary infrastructure to make it a successful and sustainable business arena on Sundays.
All traders who were part of the Green Point market are encouraged to contact facilitator, Afriworld Business Solutions to be considered for trading space. The closing date for verification is Friday August 31.
Enquiries can be directed to Ryle Snyders at 082 753 7943 or cctmarkets@afriworld.co.za