Informal traders who continue to disregard street trading bylaws by trading without permits in areas not designated for them will soon face the wrath of the eThekwini Municipality.
The municipality is getting ready to deploy 50 Metro Police auxiliary constables to monitor illegal activities in the informal sector.
This warning was issued at a press conference on Tuesday by the Deputy Mayor, Logie Naidoo.
He said the constables had undergone extensive training to help them enforce street trading bylaws.
The appointment of the officers to police the informal sector was the first phase of an innovative R3,7-million pilot project aimed at promoting better management of the urban trading zones, he said.
Naidoo was accompanied by the, Lindiwe Mahlangu, head of the business support unit, and Phillip Sithole, of the informal economy policy division, who warned big wholesalers that the city would not tolerate fronting, which was depriving people of business opportunities.
The responsibilities of the constables would include protecting licensed informal traders from criminal elements, identifying and confiscating counterfeit goods, and cracking down on unlicensed street trading.
The beachfront and the Durban and Pinetown CBDs would be the first beneficiaries, but the project would later be extended to secondary CBDs, he said.
Naidoo, who is also chairman of the economic development and planning committee, said: "The idea is for formal and informal trade to co-exist harmoniously, for them to supplement each other, and to enhance business opportunities for all.
"We need to prevent overcrowding of the sidewalks, and this can be achieved by making sure that informal trading takes place in designated zones, and that traders are registered to trade from correct sites."