Feminist spatial justice: Women informal trader organisations re-imagining the city

Abstract

Colonialism has attempted to systematically erase black women and labour from the city imaginary since pre-apartheid times. Under apartheid, this was primarily enforced through the Group Areas Act. Leading up into post-apartheid South Africa, women street traders have emerged as the largest group of informal traders in the global South, yet the economy positions them as marginal to the formal labour system. As a result, exclusionary and systemic violence is inflicted upon these women by the South African state. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, of 1996 along with the Businesses Act 51 of 1993, presented an opportunity to protect the legitimacy of these traders' struggles for survival.

This paper, therefore, seeks to answer the question: How can women street trader organisations be used to advocate for the inclusion of women street traders in South African city imaginaries? The article draws on decolonial feminist theory to address this question. It first interrogates the oppressive ideals concerning the use of urban space and examines how these impact women street traders. Additionally, it emphasises the insight of women street traders, shaped by their position and lived experiences within the city.

The paper also recognises that women street traders are already organising, through existing case law and other avenues, to resist these oppressive urban ideals. Furthermore, it acknowledges their use of decolonial feminist organising as a way to assert their agency and human dignity, while employing survivalist strategies.The paper concludes by calling for a stronger movement to empower women street traders politically and economically, emphasizing the need for inclusive city imaginaries that recognize and celebrate their contributions to the urban landscape. Through collective action and advocacy, the potential for creating spatially just cities is explored, ultimately aiming to uplift the dignity and rights of women street traders in South Africa. The paper concludes by calling for a stronger movement to empower women street traders politically and economically, emphasizing the need for inclusive city imaginaries that recognize and celebrate their contributions to the urban landscape. Through collective action and advocacy, the potential for creating spatially just cities is explored, ultimately aiming to uplift the dignity and rights of women street traders in South Africa.