• Johannesburg launches digital smart cards for street traders to replace handwritten permits and stop harassment and bribery by fake inspectors.

• Mayor Dada Morero says the system gives dignity to informal traders and brings order and fairness to the city's busy streets.

Street traders in Johannesburg are stepping into the digital age as the city launches new smart trading cards to clean up and protect informal trading.

The move comes weeks after metro police cleared overcrowded pavements, removing hundreds of hawkers trading without permits.

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At the launch on Friday, 24 October, traders from the Inner City gathered to receive their first digital cards. The event was led by mayor Dada Morero, joined by MMC for Economic Development Nomoya Mnisi and MMC for Corporate and Shared Services Sithembiso Zungu.

Morero said the smart cards mark a turning point for informal traders who have faced years of uncertainty and harassment.

"This initiative brings order, fairness and dignity to the informal trading sector," he said. "These cards will help the City support traders instead of chasing them away."

Each smart card carries the trader's details and a QR code linked to a digital database. Only authorised officials can scan them, making them impossible to fake.

Mnisi said the system will end the corruption that has long targeted street traders. "For years, informal traders have been exploited by fake inspectors demanding bribes. With this system, that stops," she said.

To apply for a card, traders must visit the City's Informal Trading Office in Braamfontein with their ID, proof of address and site details. Only South African citizens can apply.

Morero said the programme is about more than just regulation. "Informal trading supports thousands of families. We are building a city of opportunity," he said.