FRANCISTOWN: Street vendors are crying foul after a decision not to allow their tables inside the new stadium during the Zebras/Eritrea game tommorrow.They pointed their fingers at the Local Organising Committee (LOC) who decided to bar the vendors from bringing their stalls into the stadium to sell their wares during tomorrow’s game.
Addressing a press conference at the Civic Centre recently, chairperson of LOC, Jonas Ikgopoleng said street vendors would not be allowed to carry their tables into the stadium. “We realised during the Burkina Faso game that the vendors blocked passages with their tables, which disturbed the entry of supporters into the stadium. This time around we will only allow vendors who will be using stalls available at the stadium.
“Only vendors who would have been allocated stalls will be allowed to trade at the stadium during the match. Those who previously got the opportunity will not be considered this time,” said Ikgopoleng.
Otukile Otukile, a street vendor at the bus rank, welcomed the selection criteria of LOC, but felt stalls were expensive and the buying trend at the stadium did not allow one to be sitting in one place.
The selection of vendors at the stadium was done through a raffle system.“To rent a stall for a hour would not generate enough profit,” he complained.“Besides, the only time people will have a chance to visit the stalls during the game is at halftime. That’s a very short period of time,” Otukile said.Another street vendor, Goitsemang Bathami who previously picked a ‘Yes’ said the LOC was wrong to deny another chance. He also expressed concern about the issue of their tables not being allowed at the stadium.“I don’t see why I should be denied an opportunity to try my luck again. It was by God’s grace that I picked a ‘Yes’. I think the LOC’s decision is unfair. “There are few stalls in the stadium against thousands of people.Those few stalls cannot service all the people. I sell fruits, drinks, sweets and airtime. I cannot sell them from the outside, neither can I carry everything with me. I need to put them somewhere and it would not make business sense for me to rent a P100 stall for sweets and fruits,” said Bathami.
