Several PTA informal traders registering to vote to protect their livelihoods

On the second and final day of the IEC’s voter registration weekend, some informal traders in Centurion told Eyewitness News that they were registering to vote in order to make their voices heard, and hopefully protect how they make a living.

Stock image of informal trading at a city centre. Picture: vrphotographyjhb/123rf

Eyewitness News | 19 November 2023 10:37

CENTURION - With day two of the voter registration in full swing, the Electoral Commission (IEC) has continued to encourage those who are eligible to vote, especially the youth, not to miss the opportunity to register to cast their vote in the 2024's general election.

Doors are open at voting stations across the country, where thousands of South Africans are expected to register or update their details for a second and final day on Sunday.

Some vendors and informal traders in Tshwane took to registration centres to ensure that they are able to participate in the general elections.

They told Eyewitness News their participation would be an attempt to protect their livelihoods.

In recent months, city officials took a hardened approach to clamp down on illegal trading and the sale of unregulated goods.

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Several vendors closed shop on Sunday to take to registration centres.

Thabo Motaung, a retired security guard who now operates his own stall in Kosmosdal said in recent months, his stand, which was erected outside a local shopping centre, became a hub for local police officials who continuously confiscate his stock.

He also lamented several service delivery issues in the area.

"When you wake up, it's load shedding, when you sleep, it's load shedding, when you drive on the roads, it's potholes, [and] on the street, it's instability and crime."

Businesses like Motaung's have come under pressure in recent years as they fight off competition from other African migrants looking to make a living.