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The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the City of Tshwane Administrator, Mpho Nawa, to urgently take action against ANC councillors who have been issuing illegal trading permits to spaza shop owners and street traders.

Last week, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma announced that licensed spaza shops are now allowed to sell essential goods during the lockdown period if they have a valid permit from their municipality.

According to the City of Tshwane's Street Traders bylaws, councillors do not have the authority to issue permits. Only municipal officials can issue the permits and help the spaza shop owners.

However, the DA has been reliably informed that ANC ward councillors in Tshwane have issued illegal permits to the spaza shop owners.

This is in direct contravention of the bylaw and immediate action should be taken against these councillors.

It is clear that the ANC has no intention to follow the rule of law yet again, and will even go as far as misleading the informal traders instead of assisting them to follow the correct procedures.

The ANC-led Gauteng Provincial Government has unlawfully dissolved the Tshwane City Council but in fact its own councillors are undermining this decision.

While DA councillors are awaiting a court judgement on the matter, their ANC counterparts are committing fraud by illegally authorising permits.

The strongest action should be taken in this regard as this is a serious health and safety risk if informal traders are not assisted and regulated in terms of the bylaw and the COVID-19 regulations.

The DA will continue to assist community members by directing them to the correct offices for legitimate assistance.

Issued by DA