Non-Motorised Transport Operators: Integral Linkages in the Informal Economy

Sarah Heneck With the world’s ever-expanding urban population and the need to focus on environmentally friendly modes of transport in order to decrease carbon emissions, non-motorized transport (NMT) has become a major focus for city planners. Those who use cycling and walking as their means of commuting to and from work are generally at the … Read more

Film Screening of “We Came in Spring Carts”

Tasmi Quazi A documentary entitled “We Came in Spring Carts” was aired at the 1860 Heritage Centre in Durban during May 2019.  It refers to the Indian indentured labourers that were one of the very first set of traders, who used to transport their fresh produce in Spring Carts.  They were originally located at what … Read more

Warwick Junction’s Working Mothers – The Challenges of Balancing Livelihood and Childcare

Sarah Heneck Imagine this as your everyday life. You wake up at 3.30am in order to be able to bathe and get dressed before climbing on a 4am taxi to Warwick Junction. The taxi ride takes half an hour and you try to have a nap but you are interrupted by the numerous stops that … Read more

An Unnoticed Urban Curiosity

Wood salvagers transporting their materials to the mealie cooks. Photo: Angie Buckland by permission Asiye eTafuleni. Sarah Heneck Growing up in a South African city, the informal economy is something that one cannot help but be aware of, however, I have only recently been exposed to the depth and complexities of this undervalued sector of … Read more

Reflecting on 2018: Part 2

Rebecca Plumbley As we reach the end of 2018, we look back on ten significant projects and events that happened this year. This is Part 2 of the list. 6. Herb Market Fire On the 29th of July a fire destroyed around a third of the Traditional Herb and Medicine Market, burning the stock and … Read more

Reflecting on 2018: Part 1

­Rebecca Plumbley As we reach the end of 2018, we look back on ten significant projects and events that happened this year. 1. World Resources Institute: Ross Prize Top 5 On the 12th of December, it was announced that AeT is one of the top 5 for the World Resources Institute’s Ross Prize. The prize … Read more

Politicians and Informal Workers Connect

Rebecca Plumbley In concluding the series on the reiteration of infrastructure in Warwick, it is worth looking at broader structures that have allowed for and initiated reinvestment and renewed interest in infrastructure for informal workers. Over the past months blog posts have covered the progress of new infrastructure for recyclers, the reopening of the bead … Read more