Opposition parties have criticised the relocation of informal traders from the Grand Parade and the station for the World Cup, comparing the move to the forced removal of black people from District Six under apartheid.
About 330 traders have been relocated by the City of Cape Town from the Grand Parade to Lower Plein Street, Corporation Street, The Castle and behind the Old Drill Hall for the duration of the soccer tournament.
The Grand Parade will be a Fifa Fan Fest during the World Cup and the station deck was being upgraded.
This week, politicians in the provincial legislature criticised the relocation, saying it's denying traders a business opportunity.
The ANC's Lynne Brown called on the legislature to find a solution to the problem, while accusing the DA of effectively participating in cleaning up of trading areas.
Brown said while the sector was "not quantifiable", informal trading was the backbone of the city and had been an economic sector that was a driver of the province's economy.
But Transport and Public Works MEC Robin Carlisle said the city had no choice but to remove the traders because of an agreement signed by the national government and Fifa.
He said the government had been "taken to the cleaners" by Fifa.
About 330 traders have been relocated by the City of Cape Town from the Grand Parade to Lower Plein Street, Corporation Street, The Castle and behind the Old Drill Hall for the duration of the soccer tournament.
The Grand Parade will be a Fifa Fan Fest during the World Cup and the station deck was being upgraded.
This week, politicians in the provincial legislature criticised the relocation, saying it's denying traders a business opportunity.
The ANC's Lynne Brown called on the legislature to find a solution to the problem, while accusing the DA of effectively participating in cleaning up of trading areas.
Brown said while the sector was "not quantifiable", informal trading was the backbone of the city and had been an economic sector that was a driver of the province's economy.
But Transport and Public Works MEC Robin Carlisle said the city had no choice but to remove the traders because of an agreement signed by the national government and Fifa.
He said the government had been "taken to the cleaners" by Fifa.
- Cape Argus
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