Street trade in an urban informal economy: participant policy

engagement through photovoice

CORD Workshop May 8-13, 2014

Andrew Charman

Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation

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Ivory Park

Site characteristics: • 1.6km2

• 19,146 households, population of 45,453

• 45% female.

• 13% of the population reside in informal settlements.

• 51% of the labour force is employed.

• 17,000 unemployed.

Data from 2011 Census

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The street is an most important space for micro-enterprise activity,

street businesses include:

hair salons, take aways, green grocers, mechanics, phone serves, specialist stores, tailors, cobblers,

hawkers selling fruit, vegetables, meat and clothing, car washers, drug dealers, gaming businesses and

micro-manufacturers

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policy context…

• The SA constitution mandates local government with authority to manage street trade.

• The City of Johannesburg’s ‘informal trade and street trading by-laws’ impose significant restrictions: – ‘on that half of a public road, contiguous (sharing a common border) to a

building used for residential purposes’, – ’within 5 meters of any interaction’ – ‘on a sidewalk contiguous to a building in which business …. Sells goods of

the same or of a similar nature to the goods being sold on such a sidewalk’.

– … several others

• Provincial and National competencies pertain to the regulation of particular sectors, international trade terms, revenue obligations, immigration, labour laws and prohibitions.

• The majority of informal economy activities conducted within the street are illegal.

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...infrastructural dynamics and linkages…

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…comparative advantages..

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… participatory learning…

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… Facebook engagement …

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Challenging inequality

• Sibathulisile Thuli Ntshingila This is really brave Musa!!!!!!! Abaku bonanga

• Raymond Madibogo Well this is a by-law, you cannot plug your business anyway, some of

the areas are meant for some other

community investment, so I don't see any

bravery of taking this picture, JMDP are here to insure a better and cleaner city, more

importantly on trade and industry, please visit your by-law guide on business operation and trade before posting such pictures.

• Paton Magonya Nice one my brother laba abamfuni umuntu oyizamelayo.

• Montsho Mpholo THIS is the way of surveving bt thy let us dwn by so saying we mst hv a certificate f**k tht.

• Bongumusa Ndlovu, “We tryed not to commit crime but cops are still against us.”

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Daily Unlikes Daily Friends of Fans Daily Page Engaged Users

Daily The number of Unlikes of your Page (Unique Users)

Daily The number of people who are friends with people who liked your Page (estimated). (Unique Users)

Daily The number of people who engaged with your Page. Engagement includes any click or story created. (Unique Users)

0 16959 28

0 17522 30

0 24763 22

0 25288 19

1 28947 33

0 37426 17

0 38327 17

0 39115 33

0 41854 101

8 48870 325

1 103837 122

0 109577 87

0 112522 74

0 118000 52

0 119858 96

1 139612 44

1 140888 237

4 174168 310

3 204765 319

3 250990 253

2 266767 198

1 286990 259

2 307120 164

0 310403 179

2 315074 65

2 315187 62

1 315206 73

2 316575 124

1 316312 112

2 318038 131

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Street Life Exhibition Event

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Participate Initiative – Post 2015 Agenda

• Photographs were included in a multimedia exhibition shown in NY as part of the UN General Assembly Special Session on the MDGs

• www.workwithus2015.org

• Exhibition was installed in the UN lobby for the Open Working Group meeting in March 2014

• Strong interest from global policy makers in the research.

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