Organizing in the Informal Economy: A Case Study of Street Trading in South Africa

IFP/SEED Working Paper No. 36. Geneva, ILO, 2002.

Abstract:
This paper analyses organization strategies of street traders in South Africa. It focuses on three organizations: the Informal Trade Management Board (ITMB), the Gauteng Hawkers Association (GHA), and the Self Employed Women’s Union (SEWU). ITMB was formed in Durban as a response to the need for small traders’ organizations to have “one voice”. The members are all traders who have a trading stand. It is a non-registered voluntary organization that addresses local government in order to improve the traders’ working conditions. It interacts with the local government in the Trader Representative Forum, set up by the Informal Traders Small Business Opportunities Department, of the Durban Municipality. It also assists the members in obtaining trading sites. GHA is a registered non-profit organization of hawkers in Johannesburg. It provides members with training, legal support, help with harassment, storage, and bargaining with local government by participating in the Informal Traders Forum. SEWU is operating like a trade union, organizing self-employed women working in the informal economy in Durban, but also in other cities across the country. SEWU works towards empowerment of women in the informal economy by providing members with training in literacy skills, negotiation and lobbying. It has also been active in policy work and research, as well as established channels of cooperation with a wide range of actors and institutions at the national and international level.