CAPE Town’s once iconic flower market has been plagued by reports of drugs, vandalism and crumbling infrastructure, according to frustrate flower sellers.
Flower sellers have raised a list of grievances about the condition of the Trafalgar Place housed at the Grand Central shopping centre, owned by the City of Cape Town, that has affected their livelihoods.
The market used to be popular, but business has died down with vendors claiming that the area was “falling apart” and becoming a “safety hazard”.
“We can’t even pee in the toilets as we have not seen the key for the bathroom since it was built, recently,” Diela Gamildien told Weekend Argus.
“The lights are not working, the rain is p****ng through the roof. It’s a gemors (mess), a moerse gemors,” she said.
Instead of beginning their day with a cup of coffee during Cape Town’s wet winter, vendors say they need to mop up water on the floor.
“This is not on; this is simply not on,” Gamildien said.
“Our management company isn’t doing anything about it, so the mayor had to intervene.”
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis apparently deployed LEAP officers to patrol the market.
“The homeless hide their (drug) stash in our flower pots,” Shafieka Williams, another florist, said.
“The mayor sent officers to arrest them. We are very grateful.”
Hill-Lewis confirmed that LEAP officers were deployed to the area, adding that it was a necessary step as the market was iconic and part of a well-known Cape Town tradition.
But Grand Central Square’s Priscilla Govender claims it was the florists themselves who invited people to hide their drugs in the flower pots.
“We can’t do anything if they invite them themselves, you know,” Govender said.
“We have been really accommodating when it comes to the florists and their needs… we don’t want to give them the key for the toilets, because they can’t tell us who will be responsible for the cleaning of these toilets.
“In the past, the toilets were vandalised and we can’t allow this to happen again. It cost us R70 000 (to build a new bathroom).”
The City said it had stepped in through other means to help address the concerns raised by vendors.
“After lockdown, the City also repaired taps within the trading area so that trading could recommence and also recently did some repairs to the walkway in the flower sellers’ area,” said Hill-Lewis’ spokesperson, Lyndon Khan.
Williams said another problem was the fact that customers who drive a bicycle can’t stop outside as the City slaps them with fines.
“We can’t allow this; it’s our customers and we need to protect them,” Williams said.
Glenda Bowman, one of the other florists, admitted to contravening their lease agreement.
“There are rules and regulations and we don’t adhere to it, we don’t obey it. I admit that,” Bowman said.
“We are guilty and we are the cause of what’s taking place here.”
Bowman added: “But it’s no excuse for the landlord to treat us this way. They have to see the lease through and ensure that we’re being treated in a humane way. This is not humane.”