Tshwane Municipality says more funds needed to provide services at Tshwane Fresh Produce Market
The capital was found guilty of contempt of court for not complying with an October 2022 judgment that ordered it to ensure the market was fire and smoke compliant.
The entrance to the Tshwane Market in Pretoria. Picture: Google Maps
JOHANNESBURG - The Tshwane Municipality said it needed additional funds to comply with a court judgment ordering it to provide services to the Tshwane Fresh Produce Market.
The capital was found guilty of contempt of court for not complying with an October 2022 judgment that ordered it to ensure the market was fire and smoke compliant.
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As a result, on Sunday, the Gauteng High Court ordered the mayor and city manager to be imprisoned for one month unless they comply with the court order within 30 days.
Mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobhozi said the upcoming Tshwane Investment Summit would be an opportunity to obtain outside funds for the fresh produce.
"We firmly believe that the Fresh Produce Market is one of the city’s most valuable strategic assets. As outlined in the Tshwane Economic Revitalisation Strategy, adopted earlier this year, it plays a central role in our agriculture and agro-processing sector. Our vision is to expand trading space, improve operational efficiency, grow market share, and integrate emerging farmers into the formal value chain."
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane, which governed the city in 2022 during the period of non-compliance, said the city must re-establish its broken-down relationship with the market agents.
"We call on the mayor to restore that relationship, to put somebody in charge with authority to negotiate with the agents, and to re-employ the strategy which was in place to improve the conditions at Tshwane’s Fresh Produce Market," said the party’s caucus leader, Cilliers Brink.