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1,000 signatures reached
To: Girshwin Fouldien, Subcouncil 16, Ward 115 Manager.
Withdraw the informal trading plan for the historic Trafalgar Flower Market!
PETITION TO PROTECT THE HISTORIC TRAFALGAR FLOWER MARKET Adderley Street, Cape Town.
We, the undersigned, formally object to the introduction of a permit-based system for flower sellers at the Trafalgar Flower Market on Adderley Street. For generations, families have traded flowers at this market. Many traders are second, third-, and even fourth-generation flower sellers whose families have built their livelihoods here. The City now wants to introduce a monthly permit-based system. They plan to charge people for trading there, something that has never been done before. This will push traders out because they won't be able to pay the monthly permit fee.
We therefore call on the City of Cape Town to:
• Reject the introduction of permit-based trading for this market.
• Recognise and protect customary and historical trading rights.
• Guarantee security of tenure for existing traders without revocable permits.
• Engage in meaningful consultation with affected traders and families.
This petition supports fairness, dignity, and the protection of generational livelihoods. The Trafalgar Flower Market must be preserved as a living heritage, not reduced to a revocable permission.
Why is this important?
The right to trade at this market arises from long-standing, continuous, and customary use, not from temporary municipal permission. The proposed Informal Trading Plan seeks to replace these established trading practices with a permit-based system. Permits that are renewable, limited, or revocable place generational livelihoods at risk and create ongoing insecurity for families who depend entirely on this market for survival.
The Trafalgar Flower Market is a living heritage space and an important part of Cape Town’s cultural and economic history. Regulation that threatens displacement or exclusion undermines this heritage and erode the dignity of long-standing traders.
The Trafalgar Flower Market is a living heritage space and an important part of Cape Town’s cultural and economic history. Regulation that threatens displacement or exclusion undermines this heritage and erode the dignity of long-standing traders.