Contributions of informal trading towards urban livelihoods in Polokwane city central business District, Limpopo Province

Abstract

The central focus of this study was to investigate the contributions of informal trading towards urban livelihoods in Polokwane CBD. A multiplicity of stressors and shocks affect informal trading and its contributions towards urban livelihoods. Third world African countries like Nigeria and Ghana inter alia take cognizance of the countless external pressures and shocks that affect informal trading and its contributions towards urban livelihoods. The South African reality is not any different, the local political, social, economic and environmental elements that characterize the second economy provides evidence of the countless stressors and shocks facing the practice of informal trade. As a result, specific working objectives were formulated as follows: to understand the typologies, characteristics and challenges of informal trading, to evaluate the determinants of urban livelihoods, to analyze the contributions of informal trading towards urban livelihoods; and, to recommend possible measures that would improve informal trading and its contributions towards urban livelihoods. The study utilizes evaluation analysis; evaluation based analysis allows for the appraisal of disaggregated contributions of various informal trading activities on urban livelihoods. In addition, the study employs both qualitative and quantitative research approaches; hence, the use of descriptions, classifications and making connections will form an integral part of the data analysis. The study adopts non-probability convenience sampling in that the study area is convenient, accessible and comprises the required features. Various data collection methods were used in this study, including: literature review, questionnaire survey and observations. Importantly, the contributions of informal trading towards urban livelihoods is predominantly an area of contestation given various informal sector prospects and impediments. Furthermore, a host of challenges, stressors and shocks affect the contributions of informal trading towards urban livelihoods in Polokwane city CBD. Various economic, political, societal and environmental stressors are regarded as negatively affecting informal trading. The study argues that numerous challenges, stressors and shocks impinge on the abilities of informal trading to positively contribute towards urban livelihoods notwithstanding their capacity to absorb and seemingly sustain the indigent urbanites. The findings of the study exhibit that multiple internal and external stressors, shocks and trails that form part of the second economy deleteriously affect informal trading and its contributions towards urban livelihoods at Polokwane CBD, Limpopo Province.