Tongaat Daily Market stalls under the marquee.
Image: Supplied
TRADERS at the historic Tongaat Daily Market say they face mounting hardship after renovation work abruptly stopped just two months after it began, leaving them operating in difficult conditions with no clear timeline for completion.
Vendors received only three days’ notice to vacate the market in November after municipal authorities announced long-awaited upgrades to the ageing facility.
While initial progress in December raised hopes, traders said work ground to a halt in February and had not resumed since.
Viresh Rampurtab, a fruit and vegetable trader from Plein Street with 31 years at the market, said his family’s history at the site dated back nearly five decades.
“We were happy to see work commencing in December, but they only worked for two months and then stopped in February. No work has been done at the building. We are now in the ninth week without construction and nobody has been coming back. The building is locked up, and our municipal liaison isn't even getting back to us."
He said the traders were operating temporarily from a plastic marquee set up in a nearby parking area. But the marquee, he added, was ill-equipped to handle daily trading conditions.
“It is hot because the plastic marquee retains heat. Furthermore, we already have two holes in the marquee, which means the brutal weather will worsen conditions for us."
Conditions at the temporary site have added further strain, with a lack of basic amenities.
“The saddest part is that we don't have water and there are no toilets for the stallholders to use. It is very difficult and it will only get harder since we are getting fewer customers every day due to the economy.”
He expressed frustration at the lack of communication from municipal officials.
“The municipality does not speak to us. However, they mandate that security guards not allow us to park in the lot, yet, they do not answer their phones when we enquire about the renovations. Additionally, we continue to pay rent for our stalls because we are still operating on municipal land."
Rampurtab fears funding issues may ultimately cause the project to be abandoned, despite earlier assurances.
“My greatest fear is the municipality telling us that they ran out of money but that should not be the issue because they promised they had the money to do the renovations. Continued delays could have lasting impacts on our livelihoods."
The eThekwini Municipality did not comment at the time of publishing.