A major enforcement campaign, led by Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero, is underway in the city’s inner district, aiming to reverse years of urban decay and lawlessness. The initiative, however, is already facing a legal challenge from the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), which argues the city’s actions have violated the rights of informal traders.
Mayor Morero announced that the drive focuses on strict bylaw enforcement, including the removal of hawkers operating illegally, intensified inspections, stricter penalties, and a concerted effort to restore order and improve service delivery. According to the mayor, the measures are intended to “tackle lawlessness, ensure compliance with municipal laws, and clean up the belly of the city.”
The campaign officially commenced on October 2nd, targeting specific streets within the CBD that the city says are not designated for trading. Morero explained that the operation is part of a broader program to “reclaim the inner city,” a plan adopted after a senior management walk-through in November 2024 identified critical challenges.
He emphasized that traders with valid permits have been allowed to remain and that the city has begun issuing new “smart cards” to registered vendors in designated market areas. The mayor cited the North Market, where 156 traders have recently been accredited, as an example of this regularization process.
Despite these efforts, the campaign has been met with swift legal action. SERI, representing a group of informal traders, has taken the City of Johannesburg to court, contesting the enforcement drive. Attorney Deborah Rabuda, representing SERI, argued that the city failed to provide sufficient notice or due process, leaving her clients in the dark and abruptly cutting off their livelihoods.
“Our clients have been trading there for well over 20 years,” Rabuda stated. “When the city stopped issuing permits, there was no way for our clients to comply… They have now been told they can no longer trade without any timeline for when they can resume.”
Rabuda further contended that the new permit and stall allocation system is unfolding as an unfair “first come, first served” process, neglecting traders who had historically complied with the city’s previous systems and paid rent for their spaces.
In response, Mayor Morero maintained that the city is solely reclaiming streets that have never been legally permitted for trading. He distinguished between “lawful traders” in designated stalls and those who have “taken over the street” without approval, a situation he described as “lawlessness.”
Academic and Organisational Developer Dr. Sibongile Vilakazi, who also participated in the discussion, suggested that while the enforcement is a necessary starting point for change, the conflict was predictable. “Because no one was enforcing the rules, certain people then started occupying spaces that they shouldn’t have… and now when the authorities are coming back… they are impacted negatively,” Dr. Vilakazi noted. She emphasized that the ultimate goal should be to help informal traders graduate to formal businesses, not to remain “survivalist forever.”
When questioned on the timing of the campaign, Mayor Morero denied it was linked to the upcoming G20 meeting or elections, instead attributing it to the recent passing of a “fully funded budget” in June that allowed for the program’s implementation.
As the clean-up campaign continues, the city’s attempt to restore order hangs in the balance, caught between the urgent need to address urban decay and the complex socio-economic rights of its informal workforce. The court proceedings initiated by SERI will likely determine the future trajectory of the mayor’s ambitious initiative.
