GCC cracks down on illegal vendors, day care centres

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday October 11, 2017 18:00

 

It is now the third month since the council has been warning bye-law breakers that it will take action against those who are not obeying GCC laws. On Monday, GCC officers raided street vendors at the bus rank who use gas cylinders to heat their stoves for cooking.

“Our rules and regulations for street vendors are very clear for those people who want to sell food. They are supposed to bring cooked food and warm them here not to cook them here. The reason we are confiscating gas cylinders is because they are not allowed for safety reasons as they are prone to exploding, resulting in life-threatening injuries.

“Our agreement with people who are renting our markets is that they will sell cooked food, which they had brought from home. The markets do not have a space for kitchen and at the end, they pour oil which end up blocking the sewages,” a byelaw official who did not want to be named said.

He said the vendors are supposed to use chafing fuel. The bye-law offenders will get a penalty of between P2,000 to P3,000. Yesterday, GCC officers also pounced on illegal daycare centres to close them. Recently, the GCC mayor, Kagiso Thutlwe said the council has registered 84 day care centres in 2017, adding that 20 have not renewed their licenses, while nine are operating illegally. 

The mayor was concerned that the number of illegal day care centres is increasing.

Also on target are those mounting illegal advertisments. Town clerk, Mpho Mathe said they will be taking legal action against the owners of illegal billboards, which are not paid for at the Council. “Our Council is losing a lot of money because some people do not want to pay Council for such advertising.

We had warned people before we could take action. We held several meetings with vendors and encouraged them to have a committee which we could work hand-in-hand with it,” Mathe said yesterday.