By Teboho Moloi
QWAQWA — The chairperson of the Setsing Hawkers Association (SHA), Motlatsi Rapetso, has rejected allegations that he fraudulently collected money from hawkers operating at the newly launched stalls at Setsing Plaza.
Rapetso acknowledged that hawkers occupying the stalls have been paying monthly fees, but insisted the payments were agreed upon collectively by the association’s committee and the hawkers themselves.
He said the R170 monthly fee — charged since November — was intended to cover security, electricity and refuse collection.
“It is not true that money was paid into my personal account. I am willing to present my personal bank statements to the relevant authorities, even in court if necessary. All payments were made into an account of a company known to the association, which oversees the operations,” Rapetso said.
He maintained that the association has the authority to manage and allocate stalls, citing an agreement signed between the developer, the municipality and the association.
Rapetso further claimed that attempts to meet with municipal representatives before allocating stalls were unsuccessful.
On Wednesday, 3 December, the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality conducted a joint operation with multiple stakeholders — including law enforcement, traffic officials, soldiers and SAPS — following mounting complaints from hawkers.
Some hawkers told The Guard they paid the R170 fee into an account provided by Rapetso in order to access a stall. Others said they refused to pay after being informed by municipal officials during the handover ceremony that the stalls were free and that they only needed to register on the municipal database.
Maluti-a-Phofung’s Director of Local Economic Development (LED), Sipho Tshabalala, confirmed that the operation was prompted by widespread concerns that hawkers were being charged unlawfully.
“Indeed, as the municipality, we have satisfied ourselves that poor people’s money was taken for stalls that belong to the municipality. The stalls were donated to the municipality, and we have documentation to that effect. Whatever happens on municipal land falls under municipal jurisdiction,” Tshabalala said.
He added that authorities are now investigating whether fraud was committed.
“For now, the stalls are free. As the municipality and our partners, we will in future introduce an official tariff to cover services such as refuse removal, electricity and security,” he said.
A receipt seen by The Guard shows payment made to an account under the name ‘The Orange Buffalo Marke’.
One Response
Masepala o hloleha hofa baahi ditshebeletso tsa manthla e leng ditsela ,metsi le motlakase ba patalang kgwedi le kgwedi o tseka holo kata ditamati.
O hloleha ho fana ka security thepeng ya motlakase le matamong a metsi, moo o tlamehileng ho tshereletsa o ya hloleha.