Persecuted informal sector keeping millions afloat

Backyard motor mechanics, vegetable sellers, cigarette hawkers, hairdressers. They are the lifeline of South Africa, employing and keeping millions out of poverty. In Cape Town, the informal sector plays a huge role in poverty alleviation, reducing the city's poverty rate from 25.1% to 20.6%.This is equivalent to pulling 186000 people out of poverty, according to the city's latest economic performance indicators.