The struggle for the streets: processes of exclusion and inclusion of street traders in Durban, South Africa

Abstract

Millions of people worldwide make a living selling goods on the streets. This article traces the ebbs and flows of exclusion and inclusion of street traders from Durban's public spaces from the 1920s to the present. It shows that over time the city has, variously, expelled traders, allowed unmanaged trading and actively incorporated traders into urban plans. It suggests that there is an ongoing struggle for access to the streets, and draws attention to the role of the national and local state, as well as local political struggles. The history of street trading in Durban provides useful material for understanding marginality and informing policy.

Factors That Contribute to Vegetable Sales by Hawkers in the Limpopo Province of South Africa

“…The findings in a study by Holness et al (1999) showed that 75 per cent of the responded hawkers were women. Their dominance is one of the socio-economic factors in a hawking business (Cummins & Harvey, 1996;Mitullah, 2003;Agnello & Moller, 2004;Manganga, 2007;Motala, 2008;Skinner, 2008). This study somehow does not agree with similar studies conducted in other parts of the world.…”

“…Hawkers with high income per month are the ones who are likely to have bigger selling markets and who are mostly mobile and they often sell to other hawkers. The findings in a study by Skinner (2008) were that fruit and vegetable hawkers in South Africa earn between R300 and R600 per month, and an average turnover of R1000 per month. Tissington's (2009) findings from his study were that hawkers earned between R800 to R1600 a month depending, according to them, on the weather.…”

“…Fresh and locally produced agricultural products are mostly sold by hawkers mainly found in front of municipal markets, around schools, commuter or mass transit terminals, hospitals and gardens, at traffic junctions and commercially congested areas such as CBD (central business district) street. A study done in South Africa by Skinner (2008) showed that hawking is the only source of income to 88 percent of hawkers. Again, Mitullah (2004) stated that 75 percent of street hawkers were sole breadwinners in South Africa and 33 percent had others that supplement their income.…”

Negotiation and Management Strategies of Street Vendors in Developing Countries

“…These demonstrations may take the form of public rallies, where vendors sometimes march on city authorities and hand over demands and grievances, an approach which has been used effectively by vendors in Durban, South Africa, in preventing eviction (Skinner, 2008b) as well as in Caloocan in Manila, the Philippines (Recio & Gomez, 2013). Sometimes these public demonstrations take violent forms, as has been reported in Mexico City in Mexico (Crossa, 2009).…”

Self-employment and poverty in developing countries

“…They sell handicrafts, ice cream, lottery tickets, and just about everything else. But South Africa is different [8]. In cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, street vending is entirely absent or confined to a very restricted area.…”