The organisation’s leader has cited Nigeria, Uganda and the Ivory Coast among countries with policies that protect informal traders and argued that the realities of the sector call for a framework that accommodates traders who operate at traffic lights
GAZETTE REPORTER
Instead of criminalising their activities, the government should find ways of coexisting with informal traders who operate at traffic lights, the Secretary General of the Botswana Informal Sector Association, Mpho Matoteng, has said.
Speaking in an interview with The Botswana Gazette, Matoteng said the continued harassment of these traders by the police shows failure to accommodate the realities of the informal sector and is outdated.
Tailor-made policy framework
“Our informal sector policies are outdated and there is an urgent need for a tailor-made policy framework that protects these traders,” Matoteng asserted.
“The Ministry of Trade and Entrepreneurship and the Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs need to work together on this. Once there’s a policy in place, the police harassment will stop and these traders will be legally protected.”
Other African countries
Matoteng urged the government to learn from other African nations that have successfully integrated informal traffic light trading into their urban economies.
“Countries like Nigeria, Uganda and the Ivory Coast have established policies that protect such informal traders,” she noted. “These policies have helped create a culture where law enforcement and informal vendors can coexist.”
The Botswana Police Service (BPS) has, however, expressed concern about the growing number of informal traders operating at traffic intersections, particularly in urban areas.
BPS: It’s a legal offence
According to the BPS, the practice not only disrupts traffic flow but also compromises road safety and creates opportunities for criminal activity.
Reached for comment, BPS spokesperson Near Bagali said hawking at traffic lights is a punishable offence under the law.
“Section 97(5) of the Road Traffic Act clearly states that conducting oneself in a manner likely to cause danger to other road users is an offence,” he said. “Therefore, informal traders operating at traffic lights are in violation of this law.”
Unsuccessful
Attempts to get comments from the Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Tiroeaone Ntsima, proved unsuccessful at the time of going to press.
The Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, referred all questions to the ministry’s public relations office.