This content requires Adobe Flash Player version
or later.
Either you do not have Adobe Flash Player installed,
or your version is too old,
or there is a problem with your Flash installation and we were unable to detect it.
Respondents either were Tsonga or Sotho speaking. The respondents do not speak English at all when doing business. Only 22% of respondents had matriculated. Nearly one quarter of the respondents had primary education or no education at all. Only one respondent had a post matric qualification being a teaching diploma. One respondent completed ABET classes but did not indicate the level of this training.
Results of the awareness of the informal trade act
Only 24 respondents indicate they are aware of the Informal Trade Act, although no indication was given that they know what it entails. To probe further respondents were asked if they know the difference between a formal and informal business. Although 21 respondents indicate they know the difference between a formal and an informal business, only nine respondents could give a clear distinction. Six of these respondents indicate a formal business is a registered business, while an informal business is not registered. Three of the respondents describe a formal business as when permission was obtained from the municipality.
Results of the operational issues
Permission to trade Table 2 shows where respondents obtain permission from to trade. Table 2: PERMISSION TO TRADE
Permission were obtained from Municipality
Hawkers association Friend/family Myself
Someone hire/organize it for me Developer
Civic association %
24 29 13 26 6 1 1
Fifty-three respondents got a permit either from the municipality or the hawkers association. This indicates they are aware that they should get permission and know where to go to obtain permission. They also rely on friends or other people to assist them in getting permission to trade. Just over one quarter of the respondents was adamant they do not need permission from anybody as they saw this job opportunity, with three being honest that they trade without a permit. A developer gave a hawker permission to set up a cooking stall at the building site to provide meals to his workers. Ten respondents granted themselves permission to trade. Eighty four percent of the respondents indicated that they run their own businesses, while 16% employ people to run the business for them.
IMPROVING THE TRADING ENVIRONMENT OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN HAWKERS INDUSTRY 52