Hawkers taken for a ride
MARBLE HALL – Hawkers in Marble Hall have expressed their concerns following a workshop they attended for two days last week, 14 and 15 September.
The hawkers complained that they wasted two days attending the workshop organized by Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality but ran by a private group when they could have been trading and earning a living on the streets.
The group alleges that they were promised a cash incentive of R3 500 each for attending the workshop and were given bank cards.
They claim that when they went to access the money they were promised at the bank with those cards, there was no money available.
The hawkers allege that no one from the local municipality has bothered to explain to them why there was no money in those accounts as promised.
Seun Mogotji, a community leader, said one couldn’t help but wondered how much money was paid to the group to run the two-day workshop and why were the poor hawkers and street vendors lied to about being paid to be part of the workshop.
Mogotji asked if that could have been another way to “loot the municipal coffers one last time before they vacate the office?”
“We blame the municipality in all this as they created the platform and colluded with this academy from the Free State to use our people and loot in the name of empowering them,” concluded Mogotji.
Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality confirmed that the workshop took place and was held with W&R Seda.
