On 7 November 2025, the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) and the South African Informal Traders Forum (SAITF) co-hosted an exhibition and panel discussion in Johannesburg to spotlight informal trade and pay homage to its contributions to the city. The event brought together informal traders, media representatives, and other key stakeholders. A photographic and video exhibition, curated by Tiffany Ebrahim and Sara Feldman, portrayed the stories of trade and resilience of informal traders in Johannesburg’s inner city.
The event aimed to raise public awareness of the realities of informal trade, highlighting traders’ important contributions to the urban economy and the challenges they face, including evictions, legal disputes, infrastructure constraints, and restrictive policies. The discussion further sought to promote transparency in verification processes and advocate for effective participation and accountability in urban governance.
The programme featured a panel discussion, alongside testimonies from informal traders. Panellists included Dr Tanya Zack, researcher, urban planner, and author from the Spatial Analysis and City Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand; Brian Phaaloh, General Secretary of SAITF; SERI attorney Deborah Raduba; and Nomatter Ndebele, communications consultant and journalist.
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The discussion included reflections from informal traders concerning their ongoing litigation against the City of Johannesburg following their unlawful removal from areas where they had been trading for years. Several traders shared the devastating impact of these removals on their ability to provide for their families. Informal traders shared stories of resilience, hardship, and determination, calling for recognition not as obstacles to urban development, but as key contributors to Johannesburg’s economic and social fabric. For many, informal trade remains the lifeline of their families, sustaining both livelihoods and communities. They also highlighted the importance of justice, protection of their livelihood, and their need to be included in building an equitable urban future in the inner city.
Tanya Zack’s inputs focused on the sheer scale of economic trade in the inner city and the need for the City to adopt an approach that is facilitative of informal trade rather than obstructive, given its contribution to the economy. Based on her research, she estimates that trade in the inner city generated over R10 billion each year – nearly four times the value of trade in Sandton City. Brian Phaaloh shared a detailed history of the City’s harassment of informal traders, beginning with Operation Clean Sweep, in which the Constitutional Court found in favour of informal traders against the City. Nomatter Ndebele reflected the important role of ethical, accurate, and responsible journalism as well as the important responsibility of journalists to challenge harmful narratives and expose the systemic injustices they face. She argued that ethical journalism not only ensures that the lived experiences of traders are reflected in stories but also plays a vital role in holding government and institutions accountable for decisions that directly affect livelihoods, dignity, and access to urban spaces.
Siya Mahlangu, from the Inner City Federation, conveyed a strong message of solidarity with informal traders and that inner city residents had started a petition in support of informal traders, rejecting claims by the City that the unlawful removal of traders has been for the benefit of inner city residents. He shared that the petition had garnered widespread support among inner city residents.
The event also included a screening of a short clip reflecting on informal traders' experiences and the Operation Clean Sweep case that went to the Constitutional Court in 2013 and 2014. The participants concluded the event with a call to action, urging continued advocacy in support of informal traders and for a shift away from punitive management of informal trade toward collaborative, facilitative, and people-centred urban management.