Vendors at the Tongaat market are forced to sell their goods on the ground and under the heat. Vendors at the Tongaat market report that the temporary trading location is negatively affecting their livelihoods.
Vendors at the Tongaat Morning Market claim that the unsanitary conditions, lack of proper shelter, and reduced foot traffic at their temporary trading site threaten their income after construction work was not completed by the set deadline of August 28th.
The reconstruction began in June and was initially expected to take three months, with a promise of completion by August 28th. However, vendors note that this deadline has passed, visible progress is minimal, and officials are not providing satisfactory updates. The expected completion date is now late October.
Prin Gopal, a vendor and deputy chairman of the Tongaat Morning Market committee, stated that vendors had not received any information from project responsible bodies, including the eThekwini municipality, for weeks. He noted that they were not receiving responses to calls or emails from the officials handling the repairs, and even the ward councillor could not help.
Gopal questioned how it was possible that the repair, which started four months ago, was still not finished despite the August deadline. He also mentioned that the work had been suspended at one point, which heightened concerns about delays.
Attempts to get answers from senior city officials led to disappointment among the vendors, as they had little information about the project's progress or the anticipated return to previous conditions. When he approached senior officials at the market, he was told he was overstepping his authority, after which communication ceased for about five weeks.
According to Gopal, vendors visited the market site weekly to monitor the progress of the work but never received a confirmed schedule. He expressed deep regret that their livelihoods were being jeopardized.
The relocation of Tongaat market vendors subjected them to financial and weather pressures. Gopal reported that there had been heavy rains for the last three Saturdays, turning the area into mud and hindering movement. Vendors requested permission to trade in the market parking lot, but were told this would only be considered after the asbestos roof was dismantled. Gopal clarified that the roof had been dismantled, but their request had still not been addressed.
Members of the local community helped provide shelter to some vendors, while others continued trading without protection from sun or rain. Gopal added that the municipality provided only one security guard and land, nothing more. They even contacted the mayor but received no response.
He emphasized that the vendors want to be communicated with, and they are not receiving the usual flow of customers because people are reluctant to come to the area due to the heat or rain. For vendors whose business depends on regular customers, this relocation has become not just an inconvenience, but a loss of earning potential.
Nisha Ramruch, who has worked at the morning market for 20 years, noted that the temporary trading location has severely complicated the sale of prepared food. She stated that it is dangerous to fry outdoors near passersby, and the weather exacerbates the problem. Ramruch noted a decrease in customers and called the municipality's actions a gamble with their livelihoods, as they cannot stop trading due to the rising cost of living.
Vegetable seller Joyce Msomi reported that she has no shelter and has had to continue selling produce in the rain and heat because she could not afford to stop trading. She stated that she is barely making ends meet now due to infrequent visitors and cannot afford to rent shelter, expressing a desire to return to the market premises.
The conditions at the temporary trading site also raised safety concerns. Suresh Sevshankar, a plant seller who has been trading at the market for four years, said that vendors received little support after being instructed to leave the area. He described the conditions as terrible and difficult for ground trading.
Sevshankar reported that the muddy ground had already led to an injury after someone slipped and fell during the rain. He concluded that such a way of doing business is unacceptable.
An eThekwini municipality representative, Senzelwe Mzila, stated that the project is planned to be completed by the end of October.