SWC may help informal traders
2010-02-17 20:10
Johannesburg - Johannesburg's informal traders stand to score big during the 2010 Fifa World Cup if they adhere to the international soccer body's by-laws, the city's 2010 office said on Wednesday.
Spokesperson Sibongile Mazibuko said: "Though trading will not be permitted in exclusion zones around the stadiums on match days, new opportunities are being created for traders to benefit from being situated in high-fan traffic areas."
She advised informal traders to join programmes designed by the department of economic development to help coach them through the tournament.
Most traders working at events were already listed on the department's database and would be permitted to sell their wares during the World Cup.
Food vendors had in the past year attended a monthly training programme on food safety, health requirements, food presentation and the image of their stalls.
Mazibuko said: "Traders can further cash-in on new opportunities by selling food to secure clients such as the city's 2010 volunteer workforce, the staff working at the event and VIP guests of the city."
Exclusion zones
Host cities were obliged to create commercial restriction zones around stadiums and areas of importance during the tournament.
This was to protect Fifa's commercial affiliates and sponsors from 'ambush marketing' by competing companies that had contributed nothing to the event, said Mazibuko.
She said the city sought to ensure that trading at controlled-access sites and exclusion zones was controlled and was disrupted as little as possible.
"Traders are, however, expected to comply with Fifa by-laws by avoiding selling illegal counterfeit goods, engaging in ambush marketing or trading along protocol main routes outside demarcated trading areas."
The Johannesburg metropolitan municipality was also hosting several parallel events at which accredited traders would be able to sell their wares.
These included fan fests at Innes Free Park in Sandton and at Elkah Stadium in Soweto, which accommodated 30 000 or more fans.
- SAPA