The two parties are involved in a legal battle over the forced removals of informal street traders from the Central Business District. The matter, which was supposed to be heard before the Johannesburg High Court today, has been postponed to Friday. The forum argues that the removal is a violation of the informal traders right to trade, while the city cites it is enforcing by-laws. The forum’s General Secretary, Brian Phaaloh asks how the city can conduct a clean-up campaign and remove people who are trading legally.

“Our members that we are representing in court, they didn’t allocate themselves there, they were allocated by the city of Johannesburg. They’ve got a contract with the city of Johannesburg. They are paying rentals on a monthly basis to the city of Johannesburg. How can then, therefore, the mayor of the city of Johannesburg just wake up the other day and decide that he’s going to stop people to survive without notification, without anything,” he said.

–SABC–