Hawkers in Athlone, Cape Town, brought traffic to a stop on Monday when they hurled fruit and vegetables across Klipfontein Road in protest against attempts by municipal police to enforce informal trading restrictions.
After an angry confrontation between the municipal police and traders, four hawkers were arrested, while charges of theft, assault and malicious damage to property were laid against the municipal police officials.
The confrontation arose mid-morning after municipal police confiscated fruit and vegetables from traders occupying the pavement along Klipfontein Road.
The municipal police claimed the traders were overstepping the yellow lines demarcating legitimate trading areas. Dozens of traders and hawkers were ticketed and their merchandise was loaded into police vehicles and taken to Athlone police station.
In the ensuing scuffle, four hawkers were arrested. One was charged with intimidation, while the other three paid admission of guilt fines of R100 each.
Athlone police confirmed that the city police had handed in the hawkers' merchandise, but said the traders had been given receipts for the seized items.
Police also confirmed that the hawkers laid theft, malicious damage to property and assault charges against the municipal police.
When the municipal police returned to the scene at 1pm and confronted the traders again, the hawkers protested by hurling their fruit and vegetables across both lanes of Klipfontein Road, bringing traffic to a standstill.
Traffic officers, Athlone police and municipal police loaded whatever merchandise they could recover into a police truck. The rest was squashed as cars and trucks made their way through the mess.
Informal trader Archie Davids said the R125-a-month hawkers payed to the council was "too much considering we don't have water and toilet facilities here".
He said business was not good every day and informal traders could not afford the monthly fee.
Hawker Jeffrey Petersen said: "They took away and interfered with our means of earning a living. It was brute force and police brutality."
Another hawker, Ismail "Miles" Abrahams, said the hawkers and informal traders had been suffering "for many years under a government we voted for".
Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign legal co-ordinator Ashraf Cassiem, members of the Silvertown Informal Hawkers Association and the Gatesville/Rylands Informal Traders Association were meeting on Tuesday to map out a plan of action.
Earlier this year some hawkers and traders were hurt when police opened fire with rubber bullets.
City of Cape Town spokesperson Charles Cooper responded: "The formal and informal retailing sector, the public and the ward councillors in the Rylands/Gatesville areas have long expressed huge concern about the levels of congestion on the sidewalks, the roadway, the parking areas and the public environment in general, together with the taking over of these spaces by the informal traders and formal businesses.
"Strong concern was expressed regarding the non-compliance of municipal by-laws and regulations and the view has been expressed that the council is not willing to address these concerns and has shown a lack of commitment over the years."
Cooper said in recent years the council had done much to educate hawkers about municipal regulations and to encourage them to abide by the law, warning of "stringent law enforcement action".
He said "law enforcement focus" would be stepped up, including court summons, fines and the impounding of goods placed illegally on "the public environment, pavements and streets".