Informal Traders Conference hosted in Garden Route

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GEORGE NEWS - Informal traders and businesses from the Garden Route were inspired during the first Garden Route Informal Leadership Conference hosted on Wednesday 26 July at the Conville Community Hall in George.

The event was hosted by the South African Informal Traders Alliance (Saita) together with the Informal Economy Development Forum.

The conference addressed the financial, marketing, research and development, governance and innovation needs of the informal economy in the Garden Route.

Informal business leaders of the district were showcased and the role the sector plays in the economic development of the country was highlighted.

The aim was also to bring together governments, development institutions, investors, academics and private sector institutions with an interest in the informal economy.

Saita president Rosheda Muller said the organisation is dedicated to the advancement and development of the informal business economy of South Africa and therefore pledged to enable the informal sector to negotiate on an equal footing with all spheres of government and business.

"Saita aims to inform and uplift, grow and develop, as well as to represent and speak for the previously voiceless."

PHOTO GALLERY: South African Informal Traders Alliance (Saita) conference in George

Saita also identifies opportunities from which members can benefit and aims to create conditions conducive to growth in a hostile business environment.

Role in job creation

She said the informal business sector used to think and accept, erroneously, that it is irrelevant and insignificant. "This perception is corrected by Saita and it resulted in informal workers that are now aware of their importance, and the role they perform in job creation and poverty alleviation."

Saita also helps municipalities regulate the informal traders within their areas of jurisdiction. Through its R204 programme, it also facilitates the formalisation of the informal sector.

Denise van den Berg (second from left) of the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) with GRDM officials, from left: Natalie Raubenheimer, Melanie Wilson and Johannes Jafta.