Many cities and towns in the Global South continue to experience the growth of the informal sector. There are a number of reasons which explain the growth of the informal sector. These include formal sector retrenchments, shortage of jobs in the formal sector and lack of skills. Street vendors are the most visible traders in the informal sector as compared to other kind of traders. In many cities, the spaces in which vendors conduct their trading is not allocated to them legally as they are seen as a nuisance or obstruction to commerce and the free flow of traffic. Against this background, this study examines the contestation for vending in the East London Central Business District (CBD) Eastern Cape, South Africa. It specifically explores social processes and vendor decision making when it comes to choosing (or claiming) a particular vending space, the legal instruments (by-laws) that either promote or constrain informal trading activities. Furthermore, it investigates the extent to which street vending contributes to the traders‟ income generation and sustainable livelihoods. This study uses a qualitative research design. Purposive sampling was used to select thirty informal traders. In-depth semi structured interviews were conducted with all thirty respondents In addition to the thirty respondents, five key informants were interviewed. The study found that street vending plays a major role in providing BCMM people with livelihood opportunities. Trading space in the CBD is strictly competitive and the spaces they acquire are too small for their businesses to expand to another level. Vendors face a lot of challenges but at the epitome of their challenges is the vending by- laws which the vendors view as a major constraint when it comes to operating smoothly in the streets. The study suggested that vending polices and by- laws be reviewed in order to derive a better socio- economic and functional environment for vendors.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufh/vital:29381 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Sibanda, Phaxenda Maxwell |
| Publisher | University of Fort Hare, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MSoc |
| Format | 80 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | University of Fort Hare |
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