Latest news with #ModiriPatrickShole
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Marabastad Market wins reprieve as stakeholders seek amicable solution
Marabastad Market, a historic symbol of resistance, will remain open after a court ruling paused the city's shutdown plans. A court order suspending the city's closure of Marabastad Market is a reprieve and a conciliatory step, the South African Union Council of Independent Churches (SAUCIC) says. SAUCIC national spokesperson Cardinal Archbishop Modiri Patrick Shole welcomed the High Court in Pretoria's recent order, saying that it allows parties involved in the legal dispute to find amicable and mutually beneficial solutions to address the current impasse. Historic importance of Marabastad 'Marabastad occupies a special place in the history of resistance against forced removals. 'It survived the repressive apartheid regime's concerted effort to destroy the livelihoods of historically marginalised communities that constituted the multicultural settlement,' Shole said. It would have been a travesty of justice to see the closure of such a viable economic hub that also supports traders from neighbouring townships, he said. 'The training of 49 food handlers by the City of Tshwane and the issuing of zoning rights which allow them to operate their businesses at the Tshwane Fresh Produce Market demonstrated the municipality's commitment to formalise trading and enterprise development,' he said. 'The historic bonds as well as the shared struggles of the Indian, coloured and African communities, including their cultural and religious diversity, must not be lost as catalysts of unity, nation building, social cohesion, urban renewal and integrated development.' Backlash DA Tshwane caucus leader Cilliers Brink criticised mayor Nasiphi Moya for bragging about shutting down the Marabastad Market. ALSO READ: Tshwane to consider demolishing houses in illegal developments 'Moya didn't have any facts and tried to create the impression this was part of enforcing law and order,' he said. Brink said the fact that the market reopened the following day was because the mayor was on the wrong side of law and order. 'The market will continue operating' DA Tshwane spokesperson for economic development Pogiso Mthimunye confirmed that the Marabastad Market was open and operating as usual. 'All vendors put in permit applications to the city's economic development and spatial planning department on Wednesday. 'The market will continue operating as the vendors have applied within the time stipulated,' he added. Mthimunye said the DA will continue to support legal trading and assist vendors to comply, rather than closing them down. Court ruling In the meanwhile, City of Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba welcomed a ruling by the High Court in Pretoria on an application by two companies that were trading in Marabastad. The two instituted urgent court proceedings seeking relief for what they alleged was the city's unlawful dispossession of their possession of properties in Bloed Street, Marabastad. ALSO READ: Tshwane mayor vows to fix city's leasing system as illegal businesses closed during raid Bokaba said the two traders had approached the high court alleging that the City of Tshwane forcibly evicted and unlawfully deprived them of access to, and control of, the properties. 'The application was dismissed with each party ordered to pay for their costs. 'The judge was of the view that the city's version that it did not evict the occupants and that the occupants voluntarily vacated the premises should prevail. 'The judge also took into consideration the fact that once the electricity and water supply were disconnected, the applicants or occupants no longer found the premises favourable to occupy,' he added. 'The applicants filed the papers after the city's officials conducted inspections of the properties and discovered serious violations. These included significant arrears exceeding R6 million, as well as unauthorised electricity connections. 'This justified the disconnection of the municipal electricity supply to the premises,' he said. Plans for Pretoria West MMC for corporate and shared services Kholofelo Morodi said the city had big plans for Pretoria West after Moya and her team visited and inspected prime land parcels along Kgosi Mampuru, Bloed and Boom streets in the heart of the CBD last Wednesday. 'Back in 2015, Tshwane's council had a bold vision to redevelop these city-owned properties into a thriving economic hub, but those plans were left on the shelf,' Morodi said. ALSO READ: Tshwane mayor vows to fix city's leasing system as illegal businesses closed during raid
IOL News
7 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Churches say closure of Marabastad market was a travesty of justice
The South African Union Council of Independent Churches supports the opening of Marabastad Retail Market after it was temporarily closed last week by the City of Tshwane. Image: Supplied/City of Tshwane The South African Union Council of Independent Churches (SAUCIC) has thrown its weight behind informal traders at the Marabastad Retail Market, warning that closing the market would be a "travesty of justice". The market, a vital economic hub supporting traders from neighbouring townships, was temporarily shut down by the City of Tshwane last week due to non-compliance issues. The Gauteng High Court intervened, issuing an order requiring traders to submit necessary applications to the city by August 8, 2025, effectively suspending the market's closure. SAUCIC welcomed the order, describing it as a conciliatory step towards resolving the impasse. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The organisation's President, Cardinal Archbishop Dr Modiri Patrick Shole highlighted the market's historical significance, noting that it survived the apartheid regime's efforts to destroy the livelihoods of marginalised communities. "Marabastad occupies a special place in the history of resistance against forced removals," he said. He said that it would have been 'a travesty of justice to see the closure of such a viable economic hub that is also supporting traders from neighbouring townships'. Shole praised the city's efforts to formalise the traders, citing the training of 49 food handlers and issuance of zoning rights. He emphasised the importance of compliance and enforcement to eliminate unethical business practices while promoting new investments and infrastructure development. He highlighted the importance of preserving the historic bonds and shared struggles of the Indian, Coloured and African communities in the area, noting that their cultural and religious diversity can serve as a catalyst for unity, nation-building, and social cohesion. SAUCIC's comment comes after the Unified South African Traders, a representative body for informal traders, vowed to resist future city crackdowns on non-compliant businesses. The organisation strongly criticised the city's decision to shut down the fresh produce market, arguing that the closure has had far-reaching negative impacts on both traders and the broader public across Tshwane's seven regions. This week MMC for Economic Development & Spatial Planning, Sarah Mabotsa, said the city is processing applications to help traders become compliant before the August 8 deadline. She explained that traders must attend a compulsory workshop on street trading, comply with fire, health, and safety regulations, and secure trading licenses in order to operate a business in Tshwane. Traders must also obtain a certificate of acceptability and complete health and safety training for food handling businesses.
