- High Court finds City of Tshwane in contempt over market infrastructure upgrades.
- Traders face unsafe, deteriorating conditions despite paying fees.
- Judgment demands compliance, accountability, and trader engagement.
The North Gauteng High Court’s contempt ruling against the City of Tshwane may have made headlines for its legal weight, but its true gravity lies in the lives of those most affected: the traders of the Tshwane Fresh Produce Market.
For years, these workers have operated in deteriorating conditions, facing broken infrastructure, unsafe environments, and institutional indifference. Now, the court has spoken. But will the City finally listen?
On 11 August 2025, Judge MJ Teffo delivered a scathing judgment, finding the City in contempt of a 2022 court order that had mandated urgent upgrades to the market. That order required the submission and implementation of a precinct-plan, backed by R18 million in budget allocations.
Yet, the City failed to deliver a compliant plan, ignored correspondence from the Institute of Market Agents of South Africa (IMASA), and offered vague, unsupported claims of progress. The court didn’t just reprimand the City; it held its leadership accountable. The Municipal Manager and Executive Mayor were joined to the proceedings and sentenced to one month’s imprisonment, suspended for a year pending compliance.
Life at the neglected market
For the market’s traders, the judgment is a vindication of years of frustration. Their daily reality has been shaped by fire hazards due to non-functional smoke detectors and hydrants, power outages that spoil produce and disrupt cold storage, broken sanitation facilities that compromise health and dignity, and security lapses that leave them vulnerable to theft and violence.
These are not isolated issues; they are symptoms of systemic neglect. Traders pay fees, follow regulations, and contribute to the local economy, yet they are treated as expendable.
One trader, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisal, captured the sentiment shared by many: “We are not asking for favours. We are asking for functioning infrastructure. We pay to be here. Why must we work in conditions that put our lives and livelihoods at risk?”
A market that feeds the city
The market is more than a commercial hub; it is a lifeline for thousands of families. It connects rural producers to urban consumers, supports informal economies, and sustains food security. Yet, the City’s failure to maintain basic infrastructure has turned it into a site of struggle rather than opportunity.
The court’s ruling exposes a deeper democratic deficit; the exclusion of traders from decision-making processes. Despite the court order’s call for public engagement in future budget planning, the City submitted its final precinct-plan without trader input, ignoring both legal obligations and ethical imperatives.
Accountability and the Road Ahead
The suspended sentence against the City’s leadership is a warning. If compliance does not follow within 30 court days, the consequences will be personal and punitive. The City must now submit detailed affidavits on how it implemented the precinct-plan, account for the R18 million budget allocation, and provide supporting documentation, including risk assessments and recovery plans.
More importantly, it must engage meaningfully with traders, not as an afterthought, but as central participants in shaping the market’s future.
Conviction.co.za
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