Stables Market traders still without an alternative home since Durban High Court ordered them to vacate
|Published
Traders were forced to evacuate Stables Lifestyle Market after a high court ruling in February 2020, making way for what was meant to be a state of the art football academy. TUMI PAKKIES
DURBAN - It is almost two years since the Durban High Court ruled in favour of eThekwini Municipality to take over the Stables Lifestyle Market and traders who were once housed at the facility are still without a trading place.
After a lengthy court battle spanning four years, traders were ordered to vacate the venue, next to the Sharks Rugby Stadium. The municipality promised the traders they would be provided with an alternative place to continue their business.
However, according to Yaser Nasif, head of Glen Eden Trading, the company which took the matter to court, the municipality has not lived up to its commitment. He said the municipality had pledged to relocate traders as far back as 2014, when the project to build a football academy emerged.
“After that judgment in March 2020, the municipality said that it would relocate traders. Did that happen? It was an absolute lie upon lies. There has never been a relocation, there is literally nothing.”
He said the flea market supported more than 500 families from impoverished communities, who are now without a means of income.
“There were up to 400 stores at the Stables Market, that was 200 families supported with just the operation of the stores. Now, considering the security staff which kept the place safe, we are looking at 500 people who lost direct access to jobs and an income. Yet the municipality has done nothing to address this,” Nasif said.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo said the municipality was not aware of any promise to relocate the traders, but had started engaging them, and a plan to revamp the place was on the horizon.
“The eThekwini Municipality is a caring organisation and under no circumstances shall it ruin the livelihoods of its residents.
“With regard to this matter, the City has started the engagement process with an intention of hearing their grievances and together with them, map the way forward that will be beneficial to both parties. We are therefore appealing to be given the space to deliberate on this matter, and once the deliberations reach their final stage, we will then communicate accordingly.
“eThekwini is also planning to revamp the Stables Market so that the market can have a greater attraction for residents and visitors,” Khuzwayo said.
Next to the market is the unmaintained old cycling track, Hoy Park. On June 28, 2019, the KwaZulu-Natal Track Cycling committee was issued with an eviction notice. The track had been earmarked for the development of a football academy, initiated by the municipality and South African Football Association.
The Daily News recently visited the site and observed that its electricity had been tampered with and the site is occupied by hawkers. The municipality blames this on the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
“On the issue of the maintenance and grass cutting at Hoy Park, we just emerged from a very tight lockdown and as a result there will always be a backlog in terms of grass cutting and the maintenance of city buildings.
“We already have a plan to refurbish the building. The City will be attending to all maintenance issues in due course,” Khuzwayo said.
Daily News