‘If something happens, I must grab my stock and run’: informal traders brace for June 30

As uncertainty hangs over June 30, some foreign-born informal traders in Joburg CBD say they are changing how they work, how much stock they carry and whether they will even report for work.

A Mozambican trader who sells packets of fresh produce to commuters, residents and students living in nearby accommodation, Arnaldo Razak, is worried about what could happen during a march planned for Tuesday.

“I will not work on that day. I will stay at home that morning and see what happens,” he said.

Razak said the uncertainty has left him anxious. The thought of losing a day’s income is a concern, but he fears that reporting for work could put him and his stock at risk.

“You do not know what can happen. I just pray that everything stays peaceful.”

Razak said he relies on his daily sales to survive and to send money back home. Many of his customers are students living in nearby residences who cannot afford to buy groceries in bulk. They buy small packets of potatoes, onions, tomatoes and vegetables to prepare meals.

“They support us because it is affordable,” he told TimesLIVE.

Nearby, Abdul Sono, who has been living in South Africa for 16 years and says he has the legal documentation to remain in the country, spends his days selling second-hand clothing at one of the busy clothing markets (known as KwaMadunusa) in the CBD.

The piles of jackets, jerseys, trousers and shoes attract dozens of customers, many of them South Africans searching for affordable winter clothing.

Some items sell for as little as R15, while jackets and warmer clothing often cost less than R100.

According to Sono, the difficult economic climate has pushed more customers towards second-hand clothing. “People come here because they can afford it,” he said.

Parents buy clothes for themselves and their children, while others search through the piles looking for winter jackets and work clothes. “Some people tell us they would not be able to buy these things anywhere else with the amount we charge.”

Sono said he intends to continue trading on June 30, but he plans to bring fewer clothes to work.

“If something happens, I must be able to grab my stock and run.”

For traders, their stock is their only source of income and the turnover and profit margins are slim, he explained.

Catarina Anovo, a hairdresser for more than nine years, has built a life in Joburg.

Anovo, originally from Tanzania and her husband, who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, met in South Africa and have built a family together. They are raising a seven-year-old son. The child has never visited his mother’s home country and knows South Africa as his only home.

“He has never lived there. He speaks English, he is learning isiZulu and he goes to school here,” said Anovo.

Anovo said her family back home depends on the money she sends, making it difficult to simply pack up and leave.

Her son communicates with relatives through WhatsApp video calls but has never met them in person.

“He would be the foreigner there.”

As a hairdresser, Anovo said she often charges lower prices than competitors and sometimes accepts whatever clients can afford. She is worried for her family and friends, but hopes tensions do not escalate or become dangerous.

For local resident Pretty Gumbi, the issue is complicated.

“Some undocumented people are here to commit crime, and that worries South Africans because they disappear and are difficult to trace,” she said. “But there are also people who came here to build a better life and support their families.”

Gumbi said affordable goods sold by informal traders help many low-income residents.

“You won’t find many places where you can buy vegetables for R5 or a jacket for R40.”

She said students, pensioners and struggling families often rely on these traders.

TimesLIVE