Based on research conducted in 1999/2000, this paper examines the vibrant informal sector cross-border trade between South Africa and Mozambique. It provides an overview of the small and medium entrepreneurs involved in this trade as well as the kinds and volumes of goods that they carry across the border. It suggests that the use of the term 'informal' to describe this trade may be misleading as it obscures the multiple linkages between the formal and informal sectors in both countries. Furthermore, it implies a degree of illegality and non-regulation which are not always present. The paper concludes by questioning the policy and regulatory frameworks within which these small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) operate. Copyright Royal Dutch Geographical Society 2000.

This article presents the results of a study on the participation of non-South Africans in the handicraft/curio sector of street trade in South Africa in informal sector cross-border trade. The findings provide an introduction to the largely unexplored phenomenon of informal sector cross-border trade between South Africa and neighbouring states and challenge some of the common myths about non-South African street traders which pervade public discourses around migration. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is presently involved in prolonged and contentious negotiations to establish a free trade area for the region based on the SADC protocol on trade and development. At the same time, against a backdrop of anti-immigrant rhetoric, the South African government is developing a new migration policy. The article argues that informal cross-border entrepreneurs should not be disadvantaged by the renegotiation of regional trade agreements and the reformulation of South Africa's new migration policy.

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