The contempt of court judgment handed down by the Gauteng High Court against the Executive Mayor and Municipal Manager of Tshwane could have been avoided.
Since the ANC coalition took power in October 2024, the new city government has forced out a senior official assigned to restore the relationship with market agents. It has also abandoned a strategy to improve the overall performance of the Market.
Note to Editors: Please find an English and Afrikaans soundbite by Ald Cilliers Brink here, and here
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane calls on Mayor Moya to reestablish the relationship with market agents, and to ensure that the City assigns an official with knowledge and authority to undertake the upgrades at the Fresh Produce Market. We also call for TEDA’s mandate at the Market to be restored:
- Keep the market and all markets the city open and operational. Where there is a need for enforcement of by-laws, work with Market vendors to support them to comply with requirements;
- Develop a strategy to improve the performance of the market;
- Bring back the role of TEDA to support the economic viability and income generation capabilities of the market; and
- Reduce the cost of compliance, cut red tape and enable all markets in the City to operate profitably.
The dispute between the City and Market agents relates a long-standing dispute between the City and market agents about the state of infrastructure at the market. In 2022 the market agents obtained a judgment against the City to undertake specified capital and operational upgrades at the Market.
In 2024 the DA-led coalition mandated Governance and Support Officer (GSO) Ashraf Adam was tasked to negotiate with market agents about the implementation of the court order, especially in light of the City’s constrained financial position.
The mandate of the Tshwane Economic Development Agency (TEDA) was also expanded to include a supervisory role over the Tshwane Fresh Produce Market. This was a response to inadequate management practices at the Market, but also to unlock the full potential of the Market.
Tshwane has a number of income-producing assets which, with the right investment and management approach, can help improve the City’s financial position. The Tshwane Fresh Produce Market, along with being a municipal service point, is one such asset.
But in October last year an ANC coalition took control of Tshwane, and in January this year Ashraf Adam was forced to resign from his position. At the time the DA issued a statement in which we made it clear that we believe Adam was forced out to make way for an ANC cadre.
The ANC coalition also abandoned the expanded role of TEDA at the Market. TEDA’s role in supporting the development of other income producing assets, such as the City’s power stations, was also abandoned. ANC coalition MMC for Economic Development and City Planning, Sara Mabotsa has failed to devise an alternative strategy for the Market.
In the process communication between the City and the market agents was neglected, while MMC Mabotsa has failed to articulate what exactly the ANC coalition’s approach would be to improving the performance of the Market.