Abstract
In recent years the informal sector in both less developed countries and in developing countries, including South Africa, has undergone rapid growth. In South Africa, high levels of unemployment and poverty have pushed many of the unemployed into self-employment activities in the informal sector. The informal sector is a highly diversified segment, and street trading is one type of survivalist activity. In South Africa, street trading is conducted mainly by African women, who sell mostly fruits, vegetables and cooked foods. The quintessential feature of informal sector work is its precarious nature, especially as it evades the ambit of social security and labour legislation. This article explores the nature of street trading undertaken in the Johannesburg CBD, characterised by poor working conditions, low income, extremely long hours and overcrowding.
Highlights
In many developing and developed countries, the informal sector is increasingly becoming a major contributor to GDP
Whilst it is difficult to formulate an incisive picture of the hardship experienced by women in the informal sector, it is hoped that such information would accentuate the predicament of African women street traders
It is an inescapable fact that growing economic adversity, with the resulting unemployment and poverty, will serve to thrust more people into the informal sector, an area that is already overcrowded
Summary
In many developing and developed countries, the informal sector is increasingly becoming a major contributor to GDP. African women predominate in the informal sector, especially street trading, due to a host of factors It is a well-documented fact that African women have the lowest activity rates, are the least likely to be employed in formal employment and have low levels of formal education and skills (Bhorat, 2002: 41). This analysis explicitly indicates that women’s time budgets were overstretched and that working long hours left little time for leisure and rest This is consistent with most studies that indicate that women in poor households devote much more time to income-generating activities (World Bank, 1990: 31). Such information will assist policymakers to make informed decisions that will harness and support this often misunderstood entity
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